Mennonite Historical Bulletin v. 18 (1957)

MENNONITE HISTORICAL BULLETIN

Pubh5 hed quarterly by the Historical Committee of Mennomte General Conference at Scottdale, Pennsylvania, and distributed to the members
of Mennomte Historical Association. Editor: John A. Hostetler; Assistant Editor: Nelson P. Springer; Associate Editors: H. S. Bender, Ernest R.
Clemens, J. C. Fretz Melvin Gingench Ira D. Landis, Harold Bauman, Paul Peachey, Gideon G. Yoder, J. C. Wenger, S. S. Wenger, Grant Stoltz-
fus. Dues for regular membership ($1.50 per year) or for sustaining membership ($5.00 or more annually) may be sent to the treasurer of the
Association, Ira D. Landis, R. 1, Bareville, Pennsylvania. Articles and news items may be addressed to the Editor.

Vol. XVIII

January, 1957

No. 1

Joseph W. Yoder (1872-1956)

Joseph W. Yoder of Huntingdon, Penn-
sylvania, author of several widely read
books on the Amish, lecturer, singer, and
interpreter of the “plain people,” died at
the J. C. Blair Memorial Hospital in
Huntingdon at five o’clock Tuesday morn-
ing, November 13, 1956, after an illness of
several months. He had been ailing some
since last winter in his Florida home, but
he suffered almost no pain during his ill-
ness and death.

Joseph Warren Yoder was born in
Belleville September 22, 1872, son of an
Amish preacher, Christian Z. (b. 1837)
and Rosanna McGonegal (b. 1837) Yoder.

He was the last surviving member of
his family. His three brothers were: Yost
(Amish) (1859-1930), of Belleville; Levi
(1863-1943), Belleville manufacturer; and
John (1866-1932), an industrialist of
Goshen, Indiana. Joseph was married
to Emily A. Lane of Lane’s Mills on
February 18, 1932. They lived at 1722
Mifflin Street, Huntingdon, Pennsylvania.
He is survived by his wife.

Joseph received his formal education at
the Brethren Normal School, now Juniata
College, graduating from the Normal
English program in 1895. Later he re-
turned to receive a bachelor of arts degree
in 1904.

During his undergraduate days at Juni-
ata, Joseph was a member of the college’s
first “varsity quartet” which began its
career at Allensville and Belleville in late
1902. The glee club, trained by the late
Professor William Berry, gave a concert
during Commencement week of 1904 with
Joseph W. Yoder as director.

Intercollegiate debating began during
this period and Joseph participated as a
member of the Juniata team in its first
debate with Susquehanna University,
April 25, 1902. The question was : “Re-
solved, That the United States Should
Hold Permanent Possession of the Philip-
pines.” Juniata upheld the negative and
won the debate unanimously.

Joseph’s versatile career started near
Reedsville, Pennsylvania, as principal of
Milroy High School in 1895. He served
for two years. During his second year
J. S. Coffman of Elkhart, Indiana, invited
him to teach at the Elkhart Institute
where he taught English and music for
the 1897-98 term. He attended North-
western University for the following aca-
demic year and in 1900 returned to Elk-

Joseph W. Yoder (September 22, 1872, died
November 13, 1956).

hart to teach Greek and English. He
taught music and logic at Lock Haven
Teachers College from 1906 to 1919. From
1904 he engaged in teacher institute work
as Music Director, first in Pennsylvania,
and also in Indiana, Illinois, and Virginia.
He became one of the best-known educa-
tors among the schoolteachers of those
states.

Because of his musical ability he was
frequently sought to lead evangelistic
singing for the Church of the Brethren,
Methodists, and Mennonites. He also
taught many music classes for these de-
nominations, as well as for the River
Brethren and the Amish Mennonites.

His connection with Juniata College
extended over a period of many years. In
conjunction with his teacher institute and
evangelism work, he also held the employ
of “high-school visitor.” He spoke and
sang to high-school assemblies and was
considered most influential in bringing
students to Juniata College.

He is recognized as the first appointed
Athletic Director of Juniata College, serv-
ing for three years, 1901-04, while pursu-
ing his bachelor’s course.

It was during his service as Athletic

Director that the first Juniata College
gymnasium was completed. Prior to that
time he had conducted physical education
classes in the basement of 'Students Hall.

“J. W.’s” chief fame, however, came in
later years as an author. In 1940 he pub-
lished his first book, Rosanna of the
Amish, that told the story of his mother,
an Irish infant who. had been reared Am-
ish. It is the most widely read of his
several titles and is still the most intimate
and authentic account of Amish family
life.

His sequel, Rosannas Boys (1949),
penetrated deeper into the religious and
social customs of the Amish as practiced
in his own family. The first book was a
biographical account, while the sequel
dealt with the “boys,” their problems, and
the principles of the Amish way of life.

A third title, Amish Traditions , came
off the press in late 1950. Addressed to the
Amish themselves, it is a sincere effort to
show the unscriptural causes of the many
divisions.

Amische Lieder (1942) was the author’s
greatest contribution to musicology. In
this book of 114 pages the author record-
ed on musical scales the tunes of the
Mifflin County Amish as sung to the
hymns in the Ausbund. He succeeded in
getting many of the finest patriarchs to
sing these tunes for him as he recorded the
notes with a pencil in their homes. Since
the Amish sang from memory, tunes in
various communities of the Amish varied
slightly. It was Joseph’s fond ambition to
record these tunes, publish them, and
make them available to the Amish so their
tunes would be unified. The author made
a significant contribution that led not only
to the study of Amish music but to the
preservation of their oral tunes.

Joseph maintained his membership in
the Amish (Mennonite) congregation
at Belleville (Maple Grove Mennonite
Church) where he had been baptized. In
his book, Amish Traditions, he tells why
he consistently kept his membership there.
When he first entered Brethren Normal
School (now Juniata College) in 1892,
Dr. Martin G. Brumbaugh advised him
to stay with the Amish : “Joseph, stick to
your people.”

The funeral service was held at two
o’clock Thursday, November 15, 1956, at
the Maple Grove Amish Mennonite
Church at Belleville with four ministers

2

MENNONITE HISTORICAL BULLETIN

participating: A. J. Metzler, Scottdale,
Pennsylvania, long-standing friend of Jo-
seph and Publishing Agent of the Men-
nonite Publishing House; Bishop Aaron
Mast, New Holland, Pennsylvania, former
Belleville pastor; Jacob Weirich, pastor
of the Maple Grove Mennonite Church;
and Rev. J. Raymond Powell, of the
Huntingdon Presbyterian Church. Burial
was made in the Locust Grove Cemetery
at Belleville.

The obituary was published in The
Daily News (Huntingdon and Mt. Union,
Pennsylvania) November 13, 1956. A
more complete biography giving his con-
tribution to literature and music deserves
to be written. — J. A. H.

The grade school attended by Joseph Yoder (the tall Amish boy in the back row) c. 1884.

Preston Mennonite Church

By Verda Kinzie

From 1842 to 1953 the Hagey Mennon-
ite Church was situated about a mile
northwest of Preston, Ontario, at Hagey’s
Crossing. In the early days of settlement,
many Hagey families were in the commu-
nity. That is why the church was then
called the Hagey Church. It is now called
Preston Mennonite Church. At present
there are only a few Hagey descendants
in the community. Within four years’
time there were two church fires. The first
one was in January, 1950 ; the second one
occurred in February, 1953.

By 1954 a new church was under con-
struction, on a new site. It was built in a
section which has recently been annexed
to the town of Preston. No other church
is situated in that section of town.

“The Hagey community is the oldest
settlement of Mennonites in Waterloo
County. Joseph Schoerg and Samuel
Betzner were the first settlers who came
from Pennsylvania in 1800 and located on
the banks of the Grand River about three
miles west of the Hagey Church. Other
families soon came in ... . There was no
meetinghouse until a number of years later
and so meetings were held in the homes.
The first meetinghouse was built at Berlin
in 1813 .... In 1842 the first Hagey
Church was built on the present site.” 1

In 1896 the seating style was changed.
In 1928 the basement was constructed, and
the roof raised. Other general repair work
was done.

On Sunday morning, January 15, 1950,
it was discovered that the Hagey Church
was on fire. The fire department respond-
ed with a truck and booster pump. Farm-
ers and other volunteer helpers got trucks
loaded with milk cans to bring water from
the nearest hydrant. In this way firemen
were able to keep their hoses going, and
kept the blaze confined to the interior of
the brick building. There was a large hole
burnt in the floor and there was major
damage from smoke, fire, and water.

The church had been renovated a short
time before the fire, when a new furnace

had been installed. By July 2, 1950, the
church was rebuilt. Many free work hours
were given by the people of the commu-
nity.

The dedication service of this new
building was held Sunday, July 2, 1950.
The building was filled to capacity. A
congregation of nearly five hundred heard
the service in the main auditorium, the
Sunday-school auditorium in the base-
ment, and through loud-speakers that de-
livered the messages to all those on the
grounds. Bishop B. B. Sliantz presented
the high lights in the history of the
church. J. Steckly, chairman of the build-
ing committee, thanked the committees
and workers. Howard Good, pastor of
the new edifice, thanked the Wanner
Mennonite and Zion United Church for
their assistance when they were homeless.
Services had been held in these two
churches while the new building was being
erected.

On Thursday, February 19, 1953, the
fire department was again called to a fire
at Hagey’s Church. Their efforts to save
the church this time were fruitless. Only
a skeleton of brick walls, twisted girders,
piping and wiring, and charred embers re-
mained of the church which had been re-
constructed in 1950. The church had a
Sunday-school attendance of about 130.

During the time of building, Sunday
morning services were held in the Kinder-
garten School Auditorium, Preston. Oth-
er services were held in the Wanner
church building and also conjoint with the
Wanner Church at times. The new church
was being built on land donated by E. G.
Langs, adjacent to the new Coronation
Public School on Concession Road, Pres-
ton.

Thanksgiving Day, October 12, 1953,
was an important day in the history of the
Hagey Mennonite Church. In an impres-
sive ceremony, the cornerstone of the new
church was laid. The chairman was How-
ard L. Good, who was ordained pastor of
Hagey’s in 1948. After the hymn, “Faith

of Our Fathers,” followed a prayer of in-
vocation by Merle Shantz, pastor of Wan-
ner Mennonite Church. Bishop B. B.
Shantz, who was ordained as minister at
Hagey’s in 1908, gave the Scripture read-
ing and prayer.

Words of welcome were given by Ford
I. Wilson, Mayor of Preston, and E. G.
Langs, who generously donated eight lots
for the building of the new church in
Preston.

Bishop Roy S. Koch, acting moderator
of the Mennonite Conference of Ontario,
and pastor of St. Jacobs Mennonite
Church, lowered the cornerstone. David
Bechtel, one of the younger members of
the church, presented the silver trowel to
Bishop Koch.

George Hagey and Bruce Witrner, who
were chosen because of their position in
the rich tradition of the church, deposited
the records in the stone. George Hagey’s
great-great-grandfather was ordained as
second deacon at Hagey’s in 1832. Bruce
Witrner represents four generations and
was one of the first presidents of the Men-
nonite Youth Fellowship.

Bishop Koch laid the cornerstone with
the following words : “In the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Ghost, we lay this stone of a building
erected for the worship of God, for the
evangelization of the lost, and for the
edification of the saints.” 2 The new church
was named Preston Mennonite Church.

“Dedication services for the completed
church building were held May 16, 1954.
Bishop C. F. Derstine preached the dedi-
cation sermon and complimented the con-
gregation for their determination to re-
build after two disastrous fires. The
chairman of the building committee, J.
Steckly, thanked everyone for their co-
operation and extended special thanks to
neighboring churches, local businessmen,
and others for their contributions and for
the encouragement they gave the people
of the congregation during their misfor-
tune.

“The congregation was able to build
the church for approximately $62,000.00,
including donations, because of the kind-
ness of L. A. Bechtel, a local builder, who

MENNONITE HISTORICAL BULLETIN

3

often supplied equipment for less than
cost.

“A sentence from the dedication is ap-
propriate : ‘For the worship of God in
prayer and praise; for the preaching of
the Word; for the observance of Chris-
tian ordinances, with the prayer that it
may be protected from mishap and dis-
aster, we dedicate this house/ ” 3

Church services are usually held twice
each Sunday. Sunday morning services
begin at 10:00 a.m. The Sunday-school
period is from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. At
eleven the church service begins. The pas-
tor is Howard L. Good.

The Hagey Sunday School was the first
in the district to have a missionary super-
intendent. The aim was to get people
more interested in missions and in sav-
ings boxes and quarter investments. The
first missionary superintendent was Ida
Gingrich Cressman in 1921.

In 1922 quarterly mission meetings
were begun. There were special mission
services held at the following churches :
Wanner’s, Snyder’s, Breslau, and Hagey.
Later Strasburg was added. The pro-
grams were planned to interest people in
doing missionary work as well as to give
the people the privilege of helping to sup-
port missionaries. It was possible to have
a service at each of the churches about
once a year. There has been a great in-
terest in these services, and usually large
crowds attend them.

A young people’s Bible meeting was
organized in 1907. At that early date
meetings were held conjointly with the
Wanner congregation every Sunday eve-
ning. Later each congregation had its
own evening service.

In 1949 the Hagey Mennonite Youth
Fellowship was organized. There are
three commissions: (1) Faith and (Prac-
tice, (2) Extension and Missions, and
(3) Fellowship.

Several of the members, Jean Kinzie
and James Burnett, wrote words for
songs which were used at the inaugura-
tion service in October, 1950. Our first
president of MYF was Donald Buschert,
1949.

The Faith and Practice Commission
plans mission projects and singing at the
Freeport Sanatorium. It is also respon-
sible for planning to get the members or-
ganized to invite children to summer
Bible school.

The Fellowship Commission is respon-
sible for planning socials. They also plan
for lunch at any youth activities.

In the fall of 1952-53 there were two
children’s clubs organized by MYF for
those between the ages of 8 and 12. The
boys were interested in woodcraft. The
girls were engaged in various crafts.

With the money received from savings
boxes, quarter investments, and offerings
from the mission meetings the support of
Sarah Esch, a missionary’s child, was be-
gun. This was continued until 1928. After
1928 Elvin Snyder, missionary to South
America, was supported as long as he was
on the held. In 1950 Edna Schmiedendorf

Hurst’s support was undertaken by the
five churches. She is our representative
on the African field.

In the meantime the savings boxes were
used in the support of Nancy Anne Hurst
in 1943. She is a missionary’s child from
Africa.

Sometime after Marjorie Shantz was
appointed as a missionary to Puerto Rico
the Lord’s Hour fund was started. A
group of young and middle-aged people
from the church decided to put aside one
hour’s wages a week for the support of a
missionary. Marjorie Shantz, R.N., our
representative to Puerto Rico, received
this support. This is being continued now.

Hagey’s has been a missionary church.
Besides the foreign missionaries in Africa
and Puerto Rico, there are missionaries
and Christian workers in other fields of
service. They are :

John Gingrich, pastor, Johnstown,
Pennsylvania.

Cora (Gingrich) Groh served at To-
ronto 1 for a number of years.

Arnold Gingrich, pastor, Bothwell, On-
tario, 1935.

Gladys (Shantz) Gingrich, Bothwell,
Ontario.

Isobel (Schmiedendorf) Hurst, N. On-
tario, 1941 ; later in Virginia.

Helen Lindhorst, Copper Cliff, Ontario.
Helen Witmer, R.N., served as relief
worker in a hospital unit, Nazareth,
Ethiopia, 1949-51. She is now Mrs.
J. Burkholder and is in Ethiopia
again since January, 1956.

Mennonite aid in the community is
nothing new.

“. . . The first account in this district
was made between the deacons and the
church in the year of Christ 1824, the 20th
of November when the church voted the
brethren mentioned below to gather in
the union house to look over the accounts
of the deacons from the time they were
appointed and it was found that J acob
Bechtel had received £45 or $112.50 alms
in the year 1815, which a brother, by the
name of Jacob Hershe, from Pennsyl-
vania, Lancaster County, gave as a gift
for the aid of the needy members of the
congregation.” 4

“1839, June 8, $14.65 alms money came
into the hands of Jacob Hagey.” 5 This
was money that had been dropped into
the alms box at the back of the church
near the door.

In 1948 a Mennonite health benefit was
organized in Ontario. It was named the
Mennonite Benefit Association. “Benefits
are offered under the four headings of :
Hospitalization, Surgery, Disability, and
Death Benefits.” 6

“The object of this organization shall
be to systematically share in a Christian
way the financial burdens of sickness, dis-
ability, and death and thereby perpetuate
the historic Mennonite practice of mutual
aid based on Biblical principles.” 7

“Assessments shall be levied annually
and the amount shall be determined at the
annual meeting of the association.” 8
“The Mennonite Aid Union had its in-

ception at a church conference held in
Berlin (now Kitchener), Ontario, in Sep-
tember, 1864. Authority was given for
organization of a Union for Mutual Aid
for those of its members who sustain loss
through fire. . . .

“Records reveal that during years of
operation, if misfortune befell a brother,
which affected him or his family’s finan-
cial structure, the brotherhood joined to-
gether for his assistance. Later it became
apparent that a systematic collection of
funds, on a mutual basis, was the prefer-
able plan, with each church supplying a
representative on the board of manage-
ment. Under the blessing of God, the Aid
Union provided a mutual form of assist-
ance to the brotherhood, through a system
of confining itself to church members,
limiting its risks to nominal coverage, and
practicing precautionary measures. The
losses covered by Aid Union are : fire,
storm, water, lightning, smoke, electric-
ity.” 9

Ninety per cent of the members of the
Preston congregation are taking advan-
tage of this protection against losses.

The spiritual outlook is encouraging.
Never have our people had more privi-
leges to serve Christ and the church.
There are summer Bible schools and
summer camps at Chesley Lake.

Our church has done well to hold togeth-
er through two church fires within three
years’ time. It is good to see the unity
that still exists in spite of these trying
years. People are taking a greater inter-
est in the church, and more are remaining
in the church than in previous years. Of
course our Christian high schools and
colleges have contributed toward this.

At the impressive cornerstone laying
ceremony on Thanksgiving, October 12,
the hymn, “The Solid Rock,” was sung
with deep feeling. 10

Mabel Dunham has this to say of the
Mennonites :

“It is characteristic of Mennonites that
they hold in high esteem those of their
own blood who have cleared the forests
and plowed the first furrows. A memorial
to the pioneers of Waterloo stands in the
family graveyard of the Sherk and Betz-
ner families, on elevated ground overlook-
ing the river (Grand) and the bonnie vil-
lage of Doon. It was erected in 1925, by
the voluntary subscriptions of interested
people. Built of native stone, it takes the
form of a Swiss Chalet, supported by a
circular tower, whose door faces the south
and Pennsylvania. Its weather vane is
worthy of note, a miniature Conestoga
drawn by two teams of prancing horses.

“This monument epitomizes in stone
the known history of the Mennonite peo-
ple of the locality : Switzerland, Pennsyl-
vania, the Conestoga wagon, the Grand
River, the graves of the pioneers and a
few nameless Indians. All this in a
background of well-cultivated fields and
beautiful trees.” 11

HISTORICAL DATA 12
1800 — FIRST Mennonite settlers in Wa-
terloo County, Joseph Schoerg and

4

MENNONITE HISTORICAL BULLETIN

Samuel Betzner, settled where Pio-
neer Memorial Tower now stands.
1840 — FIRST Mennonite Sunday school
in North America held here with
Wanner’s congregation.

1890— FIRST English sermon in Men-
nonite churches (in Waterloo
County) preached here by Noah
Stauffer.

1891 — FIRST Sunday school (of the
present order) in Ontario Confer-
ence District held here, Wanner’s
congregation participating.

1893 — FIRST evangelistic meetings in
Ontario Conference District held
here by J. S. Coffman, evangelist.
Dates of Ordination and Office
1804 — Joseph Bechtel, Minister
1815 — Abraham L. Clemens, Deacon
1832 — Jacob Hagey, Deacon
1838 — David Sherk, Minister
1844 — Joseph Hagey, Minister
1851 — Joseph Hagey, Bishop.

1878 — Jacob B. 'Gingrich, Minister
1889 — Abraham Oberholtzer, Deacon
1902 — David Wismer, Minister

1907 — Daniel Shantz, Deacon

1908 — Benjamin Shantz, Minister
1939 — Benjamin Shantz, Bishop
1944 — Chester Buschert, Deacon

1947 — Amos Martin, Deacon

1948— Howard L. Good, Minister

The Building

1835— A union meetinghouse built on the
grounds south of present building.
1842 — Church building erected.

1896 — The seating was changed from the
raised style to the floor plan.

1928 — Basement constructed, roof raised,
new seating, and general repairs.
1950 — January 15, fire destroyed the in-
terior and furniture. July 2, dedi-
cation of renewed and enlarged
structure.

1953 February 19, fire destroyed the
building.

1953 — October 12, Thanksgiving Day,
cornerstone laying ceremony for
the new Preston Mennonite Church.

1954 — May 16, dedication of the new
Preston Mennonite Church.

Bibliography

Brunk, J. D. Church Hymnal. Scottdale,
Pa. : Mennonite Publishing House, 1943.
Burkholder, L. J. M ennonites in Ontario.
Toronto: Livingston Press, Ltd., 1935.
Constitution of the Mennonite Aid Union.
Ontario, 1949.

Dunham, Mabel. Grand River. Toronto,
Ontario: McClelland and Steward, 1945!
Fby, Ezra. History of Waterloo Town-
ship.

I he Old Deacons Book, Hagey’s.

The Evening Reporter. Galt, Ontario,
February 19, 1953.

7 he Kitchener Daily Record. Kitchener,
Ontario, January 16, 1950.

7 he Kitchener Daily Record. Kitchener,
Ontario, February 19, 1953.

Program, Hagey Mennonite Church, July
2, 1950.

Program, Preston Mennonite Church,
Qctpber 12, 1953.

Mennonite Benefit Association, General
Information and By-Laws, Ontario, 1948.
Footnotes

1 L. J. Burkholder, Mennonites in On-
tario, pp. 82, 83.

2 Program of Preston Mennonite
Church, October 12, 1953.

3 H. Good, Preston, Ontario.

4 From a paper in the Old Deacon’s
Book at Hagey’s.

6 Ibid.

Every publishing institution has a well-
defined group of readers it aims to serve.
No publishing firm, private or church-
owned, could long survive without such
a reader audience. Little has been writ-
ten on the development of Mennonite
reader interests in all of the recent re-
search. . What did the average family
possess in the way of reading material one
hundred years ago? Why did Mennonite
readers and leaders think they needed a
publishing house? What were some of
the factors that nurtured the increased
interest in reading?

The following bibliography is intended
as an aid in answering these questions.
This list is a result of a careful search
through the Herald of Truth for articles
and items that reflect general interest in
literature : the need for good literature,
warning against harmful literature, and
articles that reflect leadership in develop-
ing a Mennonite literature. Complete
sets of back issues of the Herald of Truth
are located in the Mennonite Historical
Library at Goshen, Indiana, and Scottdale,
Pennsylvania.

“Bad Books,” February, 1864, p. 8.

“The Art of Writing a Great Privilege,”
“JMB” (John M. Brenneman), Oc-
tober, 1864, p. 52.

“Novel Reading,” September, 1866, p. 74.
Unfavorable.

“Books and Reading,” Maria B. Esben-
shade, November, 1867, pp. 166-67.
“Writing Poetry,” November, 1869, p.
1268.

“The Books Our Children Read,” Daniel
Hill, February, 1871, pp. 17-18.

“What Do You Read?” Burkholder, H. D.

Sterling, Ed., February, 1873, p. 34.
“Obscene Literature,” Anon., April, 1873,

P -77.

“The Publication of Religious Literature”
(signed) “J.”, April, 1873, p. 68.
“Books of the Day,” September, 1874,
p. 157. (Reprint) Educator.

“How and What to Read,” Anon., Octo-
ber, 1874, p. 174.

What Do You Read?” Anon., November,
1874, p. 183.

“The Printing of the German Martyrs’
Mirror in Ephrata,” Anon., 1878, p. 15.
“Novel Reading,” J. H. M. in the Breth-
ren at Work, August, 1878, p. 142.

6 Mennonite Benefit Association, Gen-
eral Information and By-Laws, p. 2.

7 Ibid., p, 4.
s Ibid., p. 5.

9 Constitution of the Mennonite Aid
Union, 1949, p. 3.

10 J- D. Brunk, “The Solid Rock,”
Church Hymnal, p. 257.

11 Dunham, Mabel, Grand River, p. 96.

12 Dedication Service Program, July 2,
1950.

“Furnish the Children with Reading Mat-
ter,” by A Friend of the Children,
November, 1879, p. 213.

“Novel Reading” (reprint) Friends Re-
view, September, 1879, pp. 175-76.

“Our Bookstore,” Editorial, October,
1889, p. 182.

“The Children’s Reading,” J. W. L. in
The Friend, August 15, 1882, p. 251.
“A Good Old Custom,” Anon., October 1,
1882. (Providing each of the children
with a family Bible, hymnbook, prayer-
book, and Martyrs’ Mirror .)
“Libraries,” Samuel S. Herner, May 1,

^ 1884, p. 131.

“Spreading the Gospel by Means of a
Printing Press,” Editorial, July 15,
1885, p.217.

Poison Among Books,” Sel., February

1, 1888, p. 39.

“The German Herald and Mennonite
History,” Editorial, May 1, 1888, p. 136.
Editorial on Publishing Sunday School
Helps at a Loss, May 15, 1891, p. 153.
“Novel-killed,” Sel., July 15, 1891, p. 221.
“Literature for Young People,” Abr.
Ebersole, C. H. Brunk, December 1,
1892, pp. 353-54, 355-56.

“The Power of Literature,” Anon., March
1, 1894, pp, 69-71, and March 15, 1894,
pp. 84-85.

“Mennonite Literature,” J. F. Funk, Jan-
uary 15, 1896, pp. 18-19.

“Mennonite iPeriodicals” (a long list),
February 1, 1896, p. 48.

“Circulating Our Own Literature,” J. B.
Kanagy, April 15, 1896, p. 124. Reprint
from Evangelical Messenger.

Editorial, March 1, 1897, p. 66.

“Means of Disseminating Gospel Truths,”

^ John F. Funk, April 1, 1897, p, 98.

“Our Intellectual Storehouse,” by a Book-
man (John F. Funk?), December 1,
1897, pp. 356-57.

“Selecting Books and Papers,” John F.

Funk, February 1, 1899, p. 35.

‘Old Books,” John F. Funk, December 1,
1899, pp. 357-58. Deals with the histor-
ical library of the Mennonite Publish-
ing Company with a long history of
Martyrs’ Mirror.

Editorial, “To Our Brethren in the Min-
istry,” January 15, 1899, p. 18.

Warning,” Editorial, on Adventist liter-
ature, February 1, 1899, p. 34.

Mennonite Reader Interests ( 1 864-1908)

John A. Hostetler

MENNONITE HISTORICAL BULLETIN

5

“A Statement from Our Business Man-
ager” (about financial aspects), Feb-
ruary 15, 1899, p. 50.

“The Value of Books,” advertisement of
Mennonite Publishing Company, Elk-
hart (short item), March 1, 1900, p.
80 (also appeared in later issue).

“Articles for the Herald,” Editorial. An
appeal for material, and for simple writ-
ing. Answers criticism of too difficult
language, June 1, 1900, p. 163.

“What Books and Papers Do Your Boys
and Girls Read?” Anon., June 15, 1900,

pp. 181-82.

“Mennonite History,” Editorial by Funk,
November 1, 1900, p. 322 (on history
content) .

“Johann Gutenberg,” reprint of an article
in The Independent , June 15, 1901, p.
190.

See Herald of Truth for Editorial on C.

Mennonite Publishing Company, Elkhart,
Indiana, 1877

The employees of the house will be re-
quired to give strict attention to the ob-
serving of the following rules :

1. All employees must be in their places
and ready for business at the hour of com-
mencing work both in the morning and at
noon, and must remain until the hours of
quitting, unless by special permission from
the foreman or proprietors.

2. Ten hours will be considered a day’s
work, and the company expects ten full
hours of every employee, and every em-
ployee absenting himself during working
hours without permission will be charged
with the time that he so absented himself.

3. All unnecessary conversation be-
tween the employees during working
hours must positively be avoided.

4. No unnecessary noise in the working
rooms, boisterous talking, whistling, sing-
ing, slamming the doors, etc., will be al-
lowed.

5. No employee of the office will be al-
lowed to follow any outside business un-
less by special permission. Every em-
ployee will be required to give strict at-
tention and his whole attention to the
business of the office and the particular
duties assigned him. Carelessness or in-
attention to business will not be tolerated.

6. No obscene talk, profane language,
etc., must be indulged in.

7. Smoking, chewing tobacco, and the
use of intoxicating liquors is positively
prohibited, and the places of employees
who use tobacco will be supplied by oth-
ers, as soon as suitable men, free from the
disagreeable habit, can be obtained.

8. Every employee will be expected to
conduct himself with politeness and re-
spect to his superiors, to his fellow em-
ployees, and especially to customers or
strangers.

H. Smith searching the files at Elkhart,
and his general plan for writing a
history (September 8, 1904).

“A Warning,” S. D. Troyer, October 20,
1904, p. 362 (on tract distribution).

“Bad Literature,” Adelia May Stoner,
January 5, 1905, p. 6 (well written).

“Thoughts on Books,” by a Brother, May

10, 1906, p, 167.

Editorial on reading material, by “F”
(Funk), August 9, 1906, pp. 291-92. In
the same issue: I. R. Detweiler, “Mis-
sionary Literature.”

“Old and Rare Books,” November 22,
1906, p. 441.

“Religious Literature of Today, Its In-
fluence for Good,” Margaret Rickert,
September 5, 1907, p, 327.

“Mennonite Libraries,” C. Henry Smith,
January 3, 1907, pp. 2-3.

9. The store, office, and other parts of
the building must be kept closed on the
Sabbath, so far as it is not absolutely nec-
essary for the keeping up of the fires or
otherwise to the preservation of the ma-
chinery or other property.

10. All employees will be required to ob-
serve a due respect for the Sabbath and
it is desired that all without exception

Articles of Association of the Mennon-
ite Publishing Company, Located at Elk-
hart, Elkhart County and State of Indiana.

1. Know all men by these presents, that
we the undersigned residents of the City
of Elkhart, Elkhart County and State of
Indiana, do hereby associate ourselves to-
gether under the general Laws of the
State of Indiana, for the purpose of form-
ing a Corporation to carry on a general
Printing, Publishing, Book Binding, and
Book Sellers Business, and other Business
incident thereto.

2. The name and style of the Company
shall be the “Mennonite Publishing Com-
pany.”

3. The Capital Stock of the Company
shall be thirty thousand dollars, with the
privilege hereafter of adding to said Cap-
ital Stock twenty thousand dollars.

4. The Captial Stock shall be divided
into shares of twenty-five dollars each,
transferable only upon the books of said
Company.

5. The term of the existence of said
Company shall be fifty years.

6. There shall be three Directors of
said Company the first year with the priv-
ilege of increasing their number to five,
and the names of the Directors for the
.first year shall be as follows: John F.

should attend public worship at least once
on each Sabbath day.

11. Loafing about any part of the build-
ing during working hours will not be per-
mitted, and any of the employees of the
house having occasion to go to or pass
through any other department, must not
spend unnecessary time, nor in anyway
interfere with such department, nor stop
to gossip with the employees of such de-
partment about things which do not con-
cern them, but must without unnecessary
delay return to their own business.

12. Order must be preserved through-
out all the different departments, stock be
kept in its proper place and in proper
order, and not left laying around loose to
be soiled and otherwise injured. Tools
and other articles, when used, must be
returned to their proper places and kept
there. The rooms must also be kept clean
and in order by those having charge of
them.

13. Every employee must make his
business and the things connected with
his department, his special study ; en-
deavor to promote the interest of the
company in every respect and make him-
self useful in every way that he can. We
have no room for idlers or for that false
dignity which is afraid of active effort,
energetic labor, and soiled hands.

14. Any omission or disregard of the
foregoing rules will be considered a suffi-
cient cause for a discharge without fur-
ther notice.

— brom unpublished papers, Funk Col-
lection Archives of the Mennonite Church.

Funk, A. K. Funk, and Joseph Summers.

7. If at anytime there shall be any stock
for sale, preference shall be given to some
of the members of the Company.

We the undersigned do hereby certify
the foregoing to be the articles of associa-
tion of said Company.

As witness our hands and seals this
27th day of April 1875.

John F. Funk
A. K. Funk
Joseph Summers

State of Indiana, Elkhart County, Be-
fore me George M. Best a Notary Public
in and for Said County on this 27th day of
April 1875 personally appeared John F.
Funk, A. K. Funk, and Joseph Summers
and acknowledged the execution of the
annexed articles of corporation to be their
act and deed. In witness whereof I have
set my hand and Notorial Seal.

George M. Best
Notary Public

FILED
APR 30 1875
John E. Neff
Secy of State

{Note: The above charter filed with
the Secretary of State (of Indiana)

Rules of Order for Employees

Charter of the Mennonite Publishing Company

6

MENNONITE HISTORICAL BULLETIN

formed the base of operations of the Men-
nonite Publishing Company of Elkhart,
Indiana. The company sold its Mennon-
ite interests to the Mennonite Publication
Board in 1908, but the President of the
Company, John F. Funk, outlived the
fifty-year life of the charter and died on
January 9, 1930. — Ed.)

News Notes

The following items of interest occur-
ring during 1956 are taken from various
sources, chief of which is the “News and
Notes” release submitted by the Men-
nonite Research Foundation, Goshen, In-
diana, of which Guy F. Hershberger is
Acting Director. All persons, Conference
Historians in particular, are invited to
send news items at any time to the editor.

The Iowa-Nebraska Conference in ses-
sion August 28-31, 1956, appointed John
W. Gingerich, Kalona, Iowa, as their
Conference Historian for a term of five
years.

The Pennsylvania German Society (or-
ganized 1890) is planning for a conjoint
annual meeting with the Westmoreland-
Fayette Historical Society at Scottdale,
Pennsylvania, in the fall of 1957.

Dr. Charles P. Loomis, Head of the
Department of Sociology and Anthropol-
ogy at Michigan State University, spent
two days with John A. Hostetler of
Scottdale, Pennsylvania, visiting Amish
commnuities in Pennsylvania, early in
December, 1956. Loomis who is coauthor
with J. Allen Beegle of Rural Social Sys-
tems (Prentice-Hall, 1950) is interested
in further anthropological studies among
the Amish and the Mennonites.

In the Mennonite Quarterly Reznew
(hereafter cited as MQR ) (January,
1956) H. S. Bender reports on “New Dis-
coveries of Important Sixteenth Century
Anabaptist Codices” at Langnau and
Bern, Switzerland, which he describes as
“the most noteworthy discoveries of Ana-
baptist writings since the discovery of the
Hutterite Geschichtbuch” published by
Rudolf Wolkan in 1923. Bender’s paper,
“The Pacifism of the Sixteenth Century
Anabaptists,” read before the American
Society of Church History, December 28,
1954, was published in Church History
(June, 1955), and reprinted in the MQR
(January, 1956). During 1954-55 Bender
was president of the American Society
for Reformation Research.

The MQR (April, 1956) has an article
by Fritz Braun giving a list of “Nine-
teenth Century Emigrants from the Men-
nonite Congregation of Friedelsheim in
the Palatinate.”

The MQR (January, 1956) has two
articles on the Mennonites of Balk, Fries-
land, who settled southwest of Goshen,
Indiana, in 1853. The authors are Carl F.

Briisewitz of Utrecht, and Marie A.
Yoder of Goshen, Indiana.

Albert Buckwalter has an article,
“Building the Church Among the Toba
Indians,” in the MQR (October, 1955).

The MQR (July, 1956) has an article
by Paul Peachey on “Anabaptism and
Church Organization.” Peachey is also
supervising a program of research on so-
cial change in the Shenandoah Valley of
Virginia.

John Umble has an article, “David A.
Schneck’s Notes on the History of the
Sonnenberg (Ohio) Swiss Mennonite
Congregation,” in the MQR (October,
1955). He has also recently completed a
manuscript on the history of the Oak
Grove-Pleasant Hill congregation in
Wayne County, Ohio.

N. van der Zijpp of Rotterdam has an
article on “The Confessions of Faith of
the Dutch Mennonites” in the M'OR (July,
1955).

Don Yoder, Pennsylvania Dutch Folk-
lore Center, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, has
edited the letters of Johannes and Kath-
arina Risser, nineteenth-century immi-
grants from the /Palatinate to America.
The letters are published in the MQR
(January, 1956).

J. Lawrence Burkholder, Goshen Col-
lege, doctoral candidate at Princeton The-
ological Seminary, is writing a disserta-
tion on the “Evaluation of the Mennonite
Conception of Social Responsibilities in
the Light of the Responsible Society.”

Howard H. Charles, Goshen College,
doctoral candidate at the University of
Edinburgh, is writing a dissertation on
“The Charismatic Life in the Apostolic
Church.”

Rosella Reimer Duerksen, Bethel Col-
lege, has completed a dissertation (Union
Theological Seminary) on the Anabaptist
hymnody of the sixteenth century.

Wilhelm Dyck, doctoral candidate at
the University of Michigan, is writing a
dissertation on the novels of Joseph Pon-
ten dealing with the German population,
including the Mennonites, in Russia.

Mary Eleanor Bender, Goshen College,
doctoral candidate at Indiana University,
is writing her dissertation on “The Ana-
baptist Theme in Twentieth Century Ger-
man Literature.”

Heinold Fast, Emden, Germany, is writ-
ing a doctoral dissertation on Heinrich
Bullinger (Zwingli’s successor in Zurich),
including his attitude toward the Ana-
baptists. The (April, 1956) MQR con-
tains his article, “The Dependence of the
First Anabaptists on Luther, Erasmus,
and Zwingli.”

Walter Fellman, Meckesheim, Ger-
many, has prepared an edition of the
writings of Hans Denck for publication.

Among the articles by Robert Fried-
mann appearing in the MQR during the
past two years are : “Christian Sectarians
in Thessalonica and Their Relation to the
Anabaptists” (January, 1955) ; “Claus

Felbinger’s Confession of 1560” and “The
Oldest Church Discipline of the Anabap-
tists” (April, 1955). “Recent Interpreta-
tions of Anabaptism” appears in Church
History (June, 1955).

Gerhard Goeters, Wickrathberg, Ger-
many, has completed a dissertation (Uni-
versity of Zurich) on Ludwig Haetzer,
and is now collecting source materials
along the German Lower Rhine. The
MQR (October, 1955) published his arti-
cle, “Ludwig Haetzer, a Marginal Ana-
baptist.”

“Culture for Service” is the title of
Paul Mininger’s inaugural address as
president of Goshen College, published in
the MQR (January, 1955). This is a
comprehensive statement of a Christian
philosophy of education, with an Anabap-
tist orientation. It is in large measure a
summary of Mininger’s 1952 Conrad Gre-
bel lectures on “The Foundations of
Christian Education.”

The 1954 Conrad Grebel lectures by
Guy F. Hershberger are to be published
with the title, The Way of the Cross in
Human Relations. A section of the lec-
tures has appeared in an article, “The
Modern Social Gospel and the Way of the
Cross,” MQR (April, 1955). Gideon G.
Yoder has delivered the 1956 lectures on
“The Nurture and Evangelism of Chil-
dren,” and Chester K. Lehman is sched-
uled to give the 1957 lectures which will
deal with the doctrine of the Holy Spirit
and sanctification. H. S. Bender has been
assigned the lectureship for 1958 on the
subject of the church.

Mary Jane Hershey, Souderon, Penn-
sylvania, is writing a thesis on the cos-
tumes of Mennonites in Eastern Pennsyl-
vania at Drexel Institute in Philadelphia.

Rupert Hohmann, Bethel College, doc-
toral candidate at Northwestern Univer-
sity, is writing a dissertation on “The
Amish and Their Music.”

Irvin B. Horst, Eastern Mennonite Col-
lege, doctoral candidate at the University
of Amsterdam, has completed his disser-
tation on Anabaptism in England.

B. B. Janz and J. G. Rempel are writ-
ing the history of the coming of the Men-
nonites to Canada after World War I.

J. Howard Kauffman, Goshen College,
has completed the basic research for his
doctoral dissertation, “A Comparative
Study of Traditional and Emergent
Forms of Family Life Among Midwest
Mennonites.” Kauffman has an article,
“Toward a Sociology of Mennonites,” in
the MQR (July, 1956). This includes a
bibliography of 400 items and 181 topics
for research classified under 21 heads.
Reprints of the article may be obtained
from the author.

C. Norman Kraus, Goshen College, has
completed a Th.M. thesis (Princeton The-
ological Seminary) on “An Historical
Analysis of Present-Day Dispensational-
ism.”

Robert Kreider, Bluffton College, de-
livered the 1955 Menno Simons lectures at

MENNONXTE HISTORICAL BULLETIN

7

Bethel College on the general theme,
“Anabaptism Speaks to Our Day.” Krei-
der also has an article, “The Anabaptists
and the Civil Authorities of Strasbourg,”
in Church History (June, 1955).

Walter Lehn, doctoral candidate in lin-
guistics at Cornell University, has as the
theme for his dissertation a descriptive
and historical study of the Low German
dialect spoken in the Mennonite village of
Rosental in the Altkolonie in South Rus-
sia.

The Historical Committee of the Ohio
and Eastern Mennonite Conference is
sponsoring the writing of a history of
that conference. The committee consists
of Gerald C. Studer, Orland R. Grieser,
Vernon Kennel, Loren S. King, and Mah-
lon O. Krabill. Walter E. Oswald and
John S. Urnble are designated as com-
pilers-writers.

John S. Oyer, Goshen College, doctoral
candidate at the University of Chicago, is
writing his dissertation on “The Lutheran
Reformers and the Anabaptists.”

Roman Gingerich, Goshen College, doc-
toral candidate at Indiana University, is
writing a dissertation on “A Comparison
of the Physical Education Programs of
Church-related Colleges in Indiana.”

Former president of Tabor College,
Frank C. Peters, doctoral candidate at
Central Baptist Theological Seminary,
Kansas City, is writing a dissertation on
the educational work of the Mennonite
Brethren Church.

Howard Raid, Bluffton College, has
conducted a census of Mennonite business-
men of the Central, Middle, and Eastern
District Conferences of the General Con-
ference Mennonite Church.

Calvin Redekop, Hesston College, has
an unpublished M.A. thesis (University
of Minnesota) on “The Cultural Assimila-
tion of the Mennonites of Mountain Lake,
Minnesota” (1955). He is pursuing fur-
ther studies at the University of Chicago.

Martin H. Schrag, Goshen College, has
an unpublished T'h.M. thesis (Eastern
Baptist Theological Seminary) on “Euro-
pean History of the Swiss, Volhynian,
Mennonite Ancestors of Mennonites Now
Living in Communities in Kansas and
South Dakota.”

Don Smucker, Mennonite Biblical Sem-
inary, doctoral candidate at the Univer-
sity of Chicago, is writing his dissertation
on the theology of Walter Rauschenbusch.

Clarence R. Stuffle has written a thesis
(Indiana State Teachers College) on
“Comparison of the Adjustment of Amish
and non-Amish Children in Van Buren
Township Schools.”

J. A. Toews, president of the Mennonite
Brethren Bible College, Winnipeg, is
writing an M.A. thesis (University of
Manitoba) on “Alternative Service Dur-
ing the Second World War.”

John D. Unruh, Freeman College, is
writing the history of the Mennonites of
South Dakota.

Silas Hertzler, Goshen College, is en-
gaged in research on the teachings of the
Mennonites on the oath.

John C. Wenger, Goshen College, is
writing a history of the Indiana- Michigan
Mennonite Conference.

Paul W. Wohlegemuth has an unpub-
lished doctoral dissertation (University of
Southern California, 1956) on “Mennonite
Hymnals Published in the English Lan-
guage.”

The Historical Committee of the Men-
nonite Church has purchased extensive
microfilm copies of records in the Na-
tional Archives, Washington, D.C., and in
the state archives of Indiana, Illinois,
Missouri, and Nebraska, relating to the
history of the Mennonites during World
War I. The materials microfilmed were
selected by Guy F. Hershberger and are
housed in the Mennonite Church Ar-
chives.

Willard Conrad began his term of serv-
ice as Archivist of the Mennonite Church
Archives during the summer of 1956. He
is working under the direction of Nelson
P. Springer, Acting Custodian.

* * *

Mennonite Research Foundation

The Annual Report of the Mennonite
Research Foundation is available upon re-
quest from the Foundation at 1613 South
Eighth Street. The report lists the re-
search projects thus far approved, and
the status of each is explained. The re-
port also includes some important recom-
mendations for the future.

The Mennonite family census (1950)
continues to be useful as a source of re-
search projects. During the past two
years the following studies have been
based on the census. Summaries of the
studies are given in the “Exhibit” section
of the Annual Report (1956) of the Men-
nonite Research Foundation.

(1) “Mobility Among the Mennonites
of Ohio,” by John R. Smucker.

(2) “Occupations and Education of
Mennonite Men and Women in Five Con-
ference Districts,” by Ila Eichelberger.

(3) “Mennonite Women: A Study of
Three Areas Related to Marriage and the
Family,” by Amy L. Hunsberger.

(4) “Residence and Home Ownership
of Mennonites,” by Norwood Schmucker.

Projects which have utilized other
source materials of the Research Founda-
tion are the following (summaries in the
1956 Annual Report) :

(1) “A Study of Unmarried Mennonite
Women in Three Conference Districts,”
by Anna Bontrager.

(2) “Christian Ethical Problems of
Mennonite Businesses,” by David C.
Leatherman, using a questionnaire sent to
a group of business firms listed in the
Foundation’s Directory of Mennonite Em-
ployers.

(3) “Mennonite Businesses and Public
Accountancy Services,” by James Peach-
ey.

(4) “A Report of the 1954 Draft Cen-
sus,” by Melvin Gingerich.

(5) “Analysis of the Draft Census of
the Franconia, Illinois, Indiana-Michigan,
Ohio, South Central, and Pacific Confer-
ences.”

^ ^ ^

New Books

Volume I of The Mennonite Encyclo-
pedia was published in November, 1955. It
includes letters A to C, articles “Aachen”
to “Cyprian,” 749 pages of text and 47
pages of illustrations besides numerous
maps. More than 450 authors contributed
articles which range in length from a few
lines to several pages. Harold S. Bender
is the editor and Cornelius Krahn, asso-
ciate editor. Elizabeth Horsch Bender as
editorial assistant contributes invaluable
service to the project. Until August 31,
1955, Melvin Gingerich, the director of the
Research of the Mennonite Research
Foundation, had also served as managing
editor of the Encyclopedia.

Volume II, including letters D to' H,
was off the press in December, 1956.
There are 886 pages plus a pictorial sup-
plement of 23 pages. The price of Volume
II is $11.00, and the entire set of four
volumes (two more to follow) is still
$38.50.

Mennonite Handbook, Indiana-Michi-
gan Mennonite Conference, is the title of
a 159 page paper-bound booklet edited by
John C. Wenger. It contains a variety of
documents important to the conference.

The Complete Writings of Menno Si-
mons, translated from the Dutch by Leon-
ard Verduin; edited by John C. Wenger;
biography by Harold S. Bender (Herald
Press, 1956); 1,092 pages; illustrated.

The Proceedings of the Tenth Confer-
ence on Mennonite Educational and Cul-
tural Problems held at Mennonite Biblical
Seminary, June 16-17, 1955, is now in
print. Copies available from J. Winfield
Fretz, North Newton, Kansas.

Reirner, Gustav E., and Gaeddert, G. R.,
Exiled by the Czar: Cornelius Janzen and
the Great Mennonite Migration, 1874
(Mennonite Publication Office, Newton,
Kansas, 1956), 205 pp.

The Twentieth Century Encyclopedia
of Religious Knowledge (Baker Book
House, Grand Rapids), 2 Vols. An ex-
tension of The New S chaff -Herzog En-
cyclopedia of Religious Knowledge. The
Encyclopedia includes at least 17 articles
on Mennonite themes. Among contribu-
tors are Harold S. Bender, Melvin Ging-
erich, and Cornelius Krahn.

The Amish Year, by Charles S. Rice
(Photographer) and Rollin C. Steinmetz
(Rutgers University Press, 1956), 224 pp.

Melvin Gingerich is writing a manu-
script on the Mennonites for translation
into Japanese.

8

MENNONITE HISTORICAL BULLETIN

A Visit to the Ontario A.M. Conference

J. C. Wenger

Precious 'Christian Fellowship

All of us have had the pleasure of meet-
ing new Christian friends and tremen-
dously enjoying the experience. This was
the privilege of the writer June 11-13,
1956, when he was with the Ontario Am-
ish Mennonites for seven services. These
people have been in Ontario for about 125
years, and for the first 110 years they
were solidly German. Within the last 15
years they have changed from German to
English in all their services with but few
exceptions. They had no conference or-
ganization until 1924. Today they are in-
distinguishable from our (old) Mennonite
Church. On Monday night the Mennonite
Hour pastor and the male quartet gave
a splendid program in their Steinman

Church. Tuesday and Wednesday their
conference sessions were held in the
Poole Church. The moderator is a fine
brother named Henry Yantzi (pronounced
Yahn-tsee), and their conference secre-
tary is Elmer Schwartzentruber, a cousin
of Amos Swartzentruber of Argentina.
Ordinarily their singing is in English, but
at this conference they honored one of
their oldest leaders, Bishop Daniel S.
Jutzi, by singing a German hymn, O wie
koestlich und wie edei ist die wcthre ReV-
gion (Oh, how precious and how noble is
true religion). Brother Jutzi was born in
1873, was ordained a deacon in 1902, a
preacher in 1914, and a bishop in 1917.
The aged pilgrim with Amish beard, his
hooks and eyes, and his frock coat, looked
like a saint from another era as he trem-

bled with emotion and the tears flowed
while the church sang German to honor
him. No one would want him to change
one iota. At 83 the old patriarch looks
just right as he is. In the evening the
writer asked if the congregation would
not sing the old hymn, O Gott Vater, wir
loben Dich (O God our Father, Thee we
praise), the ancient hymn which is sung
traditionally in every Amish Mennonite
service. And how they did sing it ! It
took the writer back to his boyhood in
the Rockhill Mennonite Church near Tel-
ford, Pennsylvania, where this hymn was
often sung. God grant that as we lose the
German, and other changes come with
the years, we may still maintain the sim-
ple and nonresistant faith of Christ in this
secular and worldly age!

Ordination

Chester

On Sunday, November 18, 1956, a
unique meeting was held at Lauver’s Men-
nonite Church marking the fiftieth anni-
versary of the ordination of Bro. W. W.
Graybill to the office of bishop.

Services were marked by a historical
message by Bro. Ira D. Landis on the his-
tory of the Mennonite churches of Juniata
and Snyder counties from the coming of
the pioneer Mennonite settler in 1774 un-
til fifty years ago and by a message re-
calling the events of the past fifty years as
a bishop by Bro. W. W. Graybill. Interest
was manifested by a crowded house and
by many former residents being present
to share in the commemoration service.
Bro. Landis gave the Scriptural sanction
for such a meeting from the instance of
Mary of Bethany being commended for
her work and faithful labors while yet
living, “She hath done what she could.”

Bro. Graybill spoke of God’s great
goodness in permitting him to serve the
past fifty years, which in retrospect
seemed to be but a short time. He re-
ferred to the fact that this meeting was
significant since it was at Lauver’s Church
that he confessed Christ at the age of six-

Anniversary

C. Graybill

teen years during a series of meetings
held by Bro. A. D. Wenger. It was here
that he was baptized and later ordained to
the ministry in 1904 and to the bishop of-
fice on November 13, 1906. Bro. Graybill
in reviewing the work of the past fifty
years referred to the changes which have
occurred in the district, noting especially
the church at Susquehanna with a mem-
bership of eight members to the growing
church of the present day, and the bishop
board of the conference numbering eight

at that time to twenty-two at the present
time.

Bro. Graybill assisted by Bro. Donald
Lauver continues to take an interest in the
work of the church as well as her outreach
in areas beyond, the churches at Buffalo
Valley and Locust Grove being served by
these brethren.

Testimonies were given in the evening
service by two of his colaborers, Bro.
Noah W. Risser and Bro. Henry E. Lutz.
Three generations of the W. W. Graybill
family were represented by taking some
part in the services, his son Walter Gray-
bill and a grandson Earl Graybill both
being ordained. — Pastoral Messenger.

Heimatstelle Pfalz

Dr. Fritz Braun, Stiftsplatz 5, Kaisers-
lautern, Pfalz, Germany, who had an ar-
ticle in the (April, 1956) MQR , is direc-
tor of a research center in the Palatinate
known as Heimatstelle Pfalz. Dr. Braun’s
research interests include the history of
family names in the Palatinate and the
study of folk culture.

At the present time Braun is searching
for information on Johannes Franz Lat-

scha (Latschar), an immigrant of 1728
who settled in Berks County, Pa. Anyone
knowing the officers of the Latschar fam-
ily reunion would do Dr. Braun a favor by
sending such information to him. Ameri-
can Mennonite genealogists and families
interested in searching European sources
would do well to write to Dr. Braun for
information on any family name he may
have in his extensive files.

MENNONITE HISTORICAL BULLETIN

Published quarterly by the Historical Committee of Mennonite General Conference at Scottdale, Pennsylvania, and distributed to the members
of Mennonite Historical Association. Editor: John A. Hostetler; Assistant Editor: Nelson P. Springer; Associate Editors: H S Bender Ernest R
Clemens, Melvin Gingerich, I. B. Horst, Ira D. Landis, Harold Bauman, Paul Peachey, Gideon G. Yoder, J. C. Wenger, S. S. Wenger, Grant Stoltz-
fus. Dues for regular membership ($1.50 per year) or for sustaining membership ($5.00 or more annually) may be sent to the treasurer of the
Association, Ira D. Landis, R. 1, Bareville, Pennsylvania. Articles and news items may be addressed to the editor.

Vol. XVIII

April, 1957

No. 2

Peter Basinger (1812-1901)

by Wilmer Swope

The parents of Peter were Christian
Boesiger, born March 7, 1779, and Verena
Schumacher Boesiger, born June 17, 1787.
Both were from Belfort, France. On Feb.
5, 1810, they were united in marriage by
Daniel Steiner, at Belfort, France. Their
son Peter Basinger was born on Oct. 15,
1812, in Alsace-Lorraine, France. In 1820
the Christian Boesiger family emigrated
to America, landing at Alexandria, Vir-
ginia. The passage was made by sailing-
ship, which required two months. They
settled in the Shenandoah Valley of Vir-
ginia, a little west of Dry River near Day-
ton, Virginia.

In 1833 (Peter went to Mahoning Coun-
ty, Ohio, where in 1836 he married Maria
Blosser (born Dec. 21, 1804, died April
24, 1884), formerly of Page County, Vir-
ginia.

In 1854 the Columbiana- Mahoning con-
gregation (with three church houses) was
in need of a. minister. In 1848 two min-
isters, Jacob Christophel and Jacob Wis-
ler, had moved to Indiana, minister Henry
Stauffer died in 1851, minister Rudolph
Blosser, brother-in-law to Peter Basinger,
died in 1852. This left two aged ministers,
John Blosser and John Shank (also for-
merly from Virginia) , and one young
minister, Samuel Good, who later left
with the Wisler group.

The congregation met at Oberholser’s
(now Midway) to select candidates for
the ministry. Upon hearing his name an-
nounced among the candidates, Peter got
up and hurried outside to escape the lot.
The ministers hurried after him and
reached him just as he was mounting his
horse to ride away. The ministers brought
him into the church again. When the lot
was cast it fell on Peter to be a minister
of the Gospel. He served from 1854 until
his death on Feb. 22, 1901.

It is said that he did not desire to be a
preacher, and that when he would preach,
he turned his face upward toward the ceil-
ing, and would sometimes preach with his
eyes closed. He gave the longest term of
service in the ministry in the Columbiana-
Mahoning church. Fie served in the min-
istry for 47 years ; his last sermon was
preached at Midway four weeks before
his death. He was the last minister in
the congregation to preach exclusively in

the German language. He was very strict
on attire and wore a plain coat; he was
also opposed to having his picture taken.
One of the maxims which he used in his
sermons was, “They say this doesn’t mat-
ter and that doesn’t matter, after while
nothing matters.”

He read and spoke German and French
fluently, and was well versed in topics of
the day. He was regarded by everyone as
an upright and honest Christian man. He
was father to eleven children including
twin girls, and one orphaned grand-
daughter. At present one great-grandson
is in the ministry, Caleb Yoder, who is
deacon at the Midway Church, Colum-
biana, Ohio.

The funeral services were conducted
by Ira Buchwalter, Dalton, Ohio, Allen
Rickert of the home church, and Albert
W. Harrold of the neighboring Zion Hill
Brethren Church. Thus ended the life
labors of this humble and pious minister
of the Gospel.

Leetonia, Ohio.

This letter by Jacob Gross (1743-1810)
was found in Valentine Nold’s family Bi-
ble brought to Columbiana County, Ohio,
in 1817 by Bishop Jacob Nold, formerly of
the Swamp congregation in Bucks Coun-
ty, Pennsylvania. The letter was trans-
lated into English by Harold S. Bender.
The original letter in German has been
sent to the Mennonite Archives, Goshen,
Indiana, through the generosity of Mrs.
I ester Mellinger, who is a descendant of
Bishop Nold. This letter by Bishop Jacob
Gross is to be preserved in the Archives
in trust for the Franconia Mennonite Con-
ference. The letter reads :

“A few last loving words to the entire
church, especially that which I must now
take leave of, and among which I have
served although as unworthy minister of
the Word, in the district of Deep Run,
Birckensen, .New Britain. Dear Brethren
and Sisters, especially, to you, but also to
others who are not members, I have a de-

sire to embrace you all with love. You
who are bought with a precious price, it
grieves me to have to leave you in such a
condition, of which the Lord speaks when
He says that unrighteousness will increase
and the love of many will wax cold, but
whoever remains faithful unto the end,
that one will be saved. Oh, love, oh love
of God which we cannot do without, oh
love for God and His Word, love for
friend and enemy. But oh, thou love of
the world, what power thou hast attained
among old and young. Oh love of the
world, oh lust of the eye, lust of the flesh,
oh pride of life, how you have increased!
Good mght, for this is the last address
from a dying hand ; repent and come more
diligently to the meeting to hear. Honor
those who are in authority over you so
that you and they will become strong.
If this is not done your candlestick will be
taken away.”

(Signed) Jacob Gross.

Farewell Letter of Jacob Gross

Supplied by Wilmer Swope

2

MENNONiTE HISTORICAL BULLETIN

An Account of the Beginnings of the Allegheny Mennonite Conference

by Ellrose D. Zook

The following is an account of the
events leading up to the organization of
the Allegheny (formerly Southwestern
Pennsylvania) Mennonite Conference as
taken from the records of J. N. Durr,
bishop of the Masontown Mennonite
Church and first moderator of the new
conference. Except for minor editorial
corrections the account is given here ver-
batim from the Durr record.

In 1873 Bishop .Nicholas Johnson died.
Pie had been the bishop of the Masontown
congregation in Fayette County, Pennsyl-
vania. The congregation at Masontown
requested Bishop Jacob N. Brubacher of
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, to or-
dain a bishop to have charge of their con-
gregation. In compliance with the request,
Bishop Brubacher, accompanied by Bish-
op Nathaniel Shope of Dauphin County,
took the counsel of the Masontown con-
gregation on Nov. 25, 1873. In this coun-
sel Bishop Brubacher asked the congre-
gation to what conference they belonged.
They answered they do not belong to any
conference. He then asked the ministers
what conference they attended. They an-
swered that they attended some sessions of
the Lancaster Conference and some ses-
sions of the Ohio Conference.

Bishop Brubacher then stated that he
could not ordain a bishop unless they
agreed to keep house in accordance with
the rules and discipline of the Lancaster
Conference until they become connected
with some conference. The Masontown
congregation agreed to this.

There were three ministers in the Ma-
sontown congregation : namely David
Johnson, Christian Deffenbaugh, and John
N. Durr. The votes of the congregation
were taken and David Johnson and John
N. Durr received votes for the office of
bishop. On the following day, Nov. 26,
[1873], the lot was cast between these two
brethren and the lot fell on John N. Durr.
Brother Durr was then ordained by Bish-
op Brubacher, assisted by Bishop Na-
thaniel Shope, and Bishop John D. Over-
holt of Westmoreland County, Pennsyl-
vania. Bishop George Brenneman of Put-
nam County, Ohio, was also present.
After the ordination Bishop Brubacher
gave the congregation a cordial invitation
to join in with the Lancaster Conference.

After consultation with the ministry,
Bishop Durr and Brother Nicholas John-
son (a member of the same congregation)
attended the Lancaster Conference on the
first and second days of October the fol-
lowing year, 1874. At this conference
Brother Durr presented to Bishops Ben-
jamin Herr, Jacob N. Brubacher, and
George Weaver the matter of organizing
a conference in the southwestern part of
Pennsylvania comprising the various coun-

ties in which there were Mennonite con-
gregations. These bishops expressed
themselves favorable to having the con-
ference organized and suggested that a
meeting of the ministry of the district be
called to further consider the matter.

During the last week of December, 1874,
Bishop John N. Durr visited Bishop John
D. Overholt, of Westmoreland County,
and Samuel Blauch of Cambria County
and others of Cambria and Somerset
counties and consulted them concerning
taking steps to organize a conference.

On Friday, May 21, 1875, the bishops,
ministers, and deacons of Greene, Fayette,
Westmoreland, Cambria, and Somerset
counties of Pennsylvania met in the Ston-
erville meetinghouse in Westmoreland
County (now Alverton, Pa.) in a pre-
liminary meeting and considered the mat-
ter of organizing the various congrega-
tions into a conference.

It was decided by unanimous voice that
another preliminary meeting be held on
the third Friday of September the same
year in the Casselman Valley in Somerset
County.

The meeting was held accordingly on
Friday, Sept. 17, 1875, in the Keim meet-
inghouse (now St. Paul, Pa.). The vari-
ous congregations were well represented
by the bishops, ministers, and deacons. A
number of questions were considered, the
principal one being the question of organ-
izing a conference, and obtaining proper
authority to proceed.

It was decided to send the Brethren
Henry H. Blauch and John N. Durr to
the Lancaster Conference to present the
matter before them.

These brethren presented the matter to
the Lancaster Conference which met on
October 1 in the Mellinger meetinghouse.
The Lancaster Conference offered no ob-
jections to the organization of the new
conference but deferred final decision un-
til the spring conference.

In the conference which met on April 7,
1876, in the Rohrerstown meetinghouse
they decided to grant permission to or-
ganize the conference subject to the Lan-
caster County Conference. On Friday,

In the winter of 1931, Llewellyn Groff
and Linford Hackman drove from the Old
Bethlehem Pike into a narrow, winding,
rocky road that went back toward a quar-
ry. To get an idea of just how the work
was started, I quote Linford Hackman as
he describes their first trip to the Rocky
Ridge area.

“After pausing a few minutes to thank
God for the joy that was ours as Chris-

Sept. 22, 1876, the bishops, ministers, and
deacons of the various counties of South-
western Pennsylvania met in the B lough
meetinghouse near Davidsville, Somerset
Co., Pennsylvania. At the request of the
bishops of the district, the two Bishops
Benjamin Herr and Jacob N. Brubacher
had the meeting in charge. Bishop Herr
being the moderator of the Lancaster
Conference acted as moderator of this
meeting. The Bishops Joseph Bixler, of
Columbiana, Ohio, and Henry Yother of
Nebraska were also present. Bishop Herr
presented the doctrines of the Lancaster
Conference. After this the testimony of
all the bishops, ministers, and deacons
were given. This was followed by an ad-
dress by Bishop Brubacher in which he
admonished the members to faithfulness to
the doctrines of the church, pointing out
the need of entire separation from the
world, the need of conformity to the Bible
in dress, and faithfully maintaining the or-
dinance of the prayer-head covering.

Bishop John N. Durr was appointed
moderator of the new conference and thus
the conference of the Southwestern Dis-
trict of Pennsylvania was declared or-
ganized. It was decided to hold the next
conference on Sept. 21, 1877, at Mason-
town. During the summer of 1877 the
ministers of the Martinsburg congrega-
tion in Blair County requested the privi-
lege of being united with this conference.
The matter was considered at the Mason-
town Conference and the request granted.
It was decided to hold the next conference
at Martinsburg on Sept. 20, 1878.

At the conference in Martinsburg, a
minister, Brother Holder of Centre Coun-
ty requested this conference to recognize
his small congregation in the conference.
The request was granted and the congre-
gation in Centre County was recognized
as belonging to this conference until the
death of Brother Holder.

In 1887 the Lancaster Conference re-
quested this conference to include the con-
gregation in Clearfield County. This re-
quest was granted and the Rockton con-
gregation has been a part of this confer-
ence ever since.

tians and asking Him to give us strength
to share it with others, and to protect us
from the dogs which usually are the first
to greet a stranger as he approaches a
house, I went to the first house and
knocked on the door. 1

“I would ask whether they had a Bible.
If not, I would give them one if they
were very much interested. If only some-
what, I would give a Testament; if only

History of the Rocky Ridge Mennonite Community

by Ivan Moyer

MENNONITE HISTORICAL BULLETIN

3

a little, a Gospel. Also, I gave Sunday-
school picture cards to the children. The
nex-t place Llewellyn [Groff] would go in,
the next one I would go in. If it was a
place of special interest, the one on the
car praying would also be called in to
visit and possibly we would have a little
season of worship in the home.”

An idea of the different nationalities in
the community can be gotten by observ-
ing a list, kept by Linford Hackman, of
Testaments given out. They included
German, Polish, Hungarian, Bohemian,
Italian, Slovak and Swedish.

After distributing Gospels, Bibles, Tes-
taments, and The Way for a number of
Saturdays, a cottage meeting was held on
March 19 in the home of Clara and Will
Anderson. The night of the cottage meet-
ing it rained hard and the group that had
gathered wondered if those strangers
would come. God had so timed it that they
arrived just at 7:30! This gave the peo-
ple confidence in the workers.

The field worker of the Mission Board,
Jacob Moyer, told the workers if they
could find a suitable building, the Mission
Board would open a mission Sunday
school.

On Saturday, April 4, Reuben Diller
and Linford Hackman left Souderton to
look for a place suitable for Sunday
school. After they had stopped for prayer,
they went on to the home of Joseph
Donise, an Italian Catholic. They asked
them if they knew of any suitable building
for Sunday school. To their surprise, they
said, “right here,” pointing to their log
cabin which they used for storage and as
a summer kitchen.

Saturday, April 11, Reuben Diller, Lin-
ford Hackman, and Abram Landis took
up thirty-six chairs which had been loaned
from the Rockhill congregation, song-
books, quarterlies, etc. They put up a few
mottoes, arranged the chairs and got the
cabin ready for Sunday school.

On Sunday morning, April 12, twenty-
six people gathered from the community
for the first Sunday school at Rock Hill,
as it was then called. It was changed later
to Rocky Ridge because of the Rockhill
congregation at Telford.

The Sunday school was organized with
Linford Hackman, superintendent ; Reu-
ben Diller, assistant superintendent;
Abram K. Landis, secretary-treasurer,
and Clayton Godshall and Warren Geh-
man, song leaders.

On May 17, the Sunday school at Fin-
land was organized with Clayton Godshall
as superintendent. Irvin Sell then came to
Rocky Ridge to fill the vacancy. This has
been repeated many times with workers
going to other mission stations nearby or
in other states, but someone has always
come to fill the vacancy.

On Monday morning, November 23, the
Sunday school burned to the ground. Very
little equipment was saved. Sunday school
was then held in the Donise home until
Vr. Donise could erect another building.
The new building was a two-story house

with the partitions left out of the first
floor. Mr. Donise, a Catholic, was always
very co-operative and helpful.

The first members of Rocky Ridge
were Mrs. Kline and Clara and Will
Anderson. They were baptized in 1933
by Jonas Mininger. From 1933 to 1939
fourteen members were taken into' the
church. Unfortunately, eight of the four-
teen later left the church.

Growth of the Mission

As time went on, the mission continued
to grow. Linford Hackman resigned as
superintendent and answered the call to
the mission field in Roseau, Minnesota.
Abram Landis was appointed as superin-
tendent. Abram served as superintendent
1938-41, when Reuben Diller, who had
been assistant, was appointed superintend-
ent and Warren Gehman was appointed
assistant.

After some time, it was decided by the
bishop and the Mission Board that the
mission should have a pastor. On June 7,
1942, a warm Sunday afternoon, Abram
Landis was ordained to the ministry by
the local bishops. 2 Two years later, on
Nov. 12, 1944, Paul Hendricks was chosen
by lot to be the deacon at Rocky Ridge.

The attendance increased, and by 1948
the average was about 134. The building,
a two-story house which the mission had
been occupying since the log cabin burned,
was becoming too small. It was decided
that several of the brethren should look
for a building site.

On Saturday, Dec. 28, 1946, the breth-
ren went out to investigate. They all
agreed to the location on the James Lark
property about two miles south of Quaker-
town on Cressman Road. Rocky Ridge
had had a building fund since 1943, but
because of the war and other reasons,
they had been unable to build. The ground
was purchased from James Lark, who,
with his family, have been engaged in mis-
sion work in Chicago since February,
1945. Ground was broken on April 19,
1948. Many of the neighboring Mennonite
churches took offerings to help pay for
the building. 3

By Jan. 1, 1949, the church was finished
except for some minor work, with a seat-
ing capacity of 307. On January 2, dedi-
cation services were held with Linford
Hackman preaching the dedication ser-
mon in the afternoon. 4 In April of the
same year Rocky Ridge Mission was or-
ganized into a church with Warren Geh-
man, Willard Godshall, and Ernest Moyer
the first trustees. It was decided to have
an assistant pastor at Rocky Ridge, and
on May 25, 1947, Lester Eshleman, who
was a medical student at Philadelphia,
was ordained to the ministry. The Lan-
caster Mission Board asked him if he
and his wife would consider going to the
African mission field. A few years later
in 1951, Lester, with his wife Lois, sailed
from New York for the mission field in
Africa. An assistant pastor was needed

due to Lester’s leaving for one year of
preparation before going to Africa. On
Sept. 24, 1950, Ernest Moyer was ordained
by lot to the ministry.

Abram Landis, the senior pastor, had
been helping with the work in Vermont
for a number of years. When the work
continued to grow and a minister was
needed for the work at Bridgewater Cor-
ners, Vermont, Abram Landis and his
family, after being asked by the Mission
Board, moved to Vermont. Ernest Moyer,
who was assistant pastor, became pastor
of the work at Rocky Ridge.

The History of Paletown

The Rocky Ridge or Paletown area is
not a new development. It is rich in
historic data. Much of it at one time was
owned and occupied by “New” Mennon-
ites. Here is part of a letter written by a
former resident who lived in the com-
munity for many years :

“In the eighteen hundred and thirties
the log house (where Sunday school was
first held) and the barn across the road
were the farm buildings owned and occu-
pied by John Fellman, my grandfather.
His wife, Elizabeth, a born Benner, died
in 1837 and was buried in the Mennonite
cemetery near Telford. Later he married
Anna Diehl, who was my grandmother. I
do not know just when, but around that
time he moved up on the farm where I
lived since I was three months old. My
father was born and died in this house.

“My great-grandfather owned the farm
where Titus Moyer moved on April 9.
It then had more acres of ground. It
extended out to the Rosenberger farm
where Paul E. Rush moved two years
ago (in 1943) and across the road, which
my grandfather bought to his farm. Later
a man named Elias Sleight owned it and
sold an acre of ground next to Titus
Moyer where a house was built. This is
the oldest house in our village. The other
brick houses were all built within two
years’ time, the Paul Rush dwelling and
ours the same year. I believe 1856. The
Titus Moyer buildings are not quite that
old. The barn burned down by lightning
when I was small and I suppose it was
built up at once, which would be between
66 and 69 years ago. (about 1880) I do
not remember if the house was built be-
fore or after the barn. The little house
back from the road was a creamery, built
in 1892.

“The place where the Rocky Ridge
Mission services are now held (since
moved to Cressman Road) and the farm
now occupied by Titus Moyer were at one
time owned and occupied by my grand-
father and great-grandfather, all Fellmans
and Mennonites.

“There lived years ago many Mennon-
ites in this vicinity ; many of them, are
buried at the Flatland cemetery. I remem-
ber the names ; Diehl, Souder, Rosenberg-
er, Fellman, Martin, Benner, Schmidt,
Biehn, Deaterly, Shive, Frick, Shelly,
Landis, Moyer, and Baringer.” 5

4

MENNONiTE HISTORICAL BULLETIN

Paletown. received its name from the
fact that around Civil War times the pale
fences along the road were all of a similar
design and white, which made quite a
striking appearance.

As early as 1876 the tannery of Aaron
Sorver was in existence. Also, at one
time there was a creamery in the com-
munity. It was later made into a house.
Today, all that is left to remind us of
those long-ago years is the old-time black-
smith shop. The smith is Harry T. Kook-
er, a Paletown resident of long standing,
known far and wide for his accomplish-
ments in metal work. 6

A Mennonite Community

Interest in a Mennonite community was
first shown in 1944 when Marcus Clemens
and Ernest Moyer started to look for a
mission community to establish private
business. Three mission communities were
investigated, namely, Haycock Mission,
Quakertown, R.D. ; Rocky Ridge Mission,
Quakertown, R.D. ; and Finland Mission,
Pennsburg, R.D. These communities are
all located close to a mountain range
which extends for many miles.

J. Winfield Fretz was interested in
Mennonite community development, and
he was contacted through Marcus Clem-
ens. In March of 1945, Marcus Clem-
ens, J. Winfield Fretz, and Ernest Moyer
went to look over the area of Rocky
Ridge, particularly the little village of
Paletown, located about two miles south
of Quakertown. The village of Paletown
was decided upon as a suitable place to
locate. Ernest Moyer and Marcus Clem-
ens discussed ideas and plans to be worked
out before an enterprise of this kind could
be begun.

Although some of the areas nearby are
covered with large rocks, and the whole
mountain is solid rock about the Rock
Hill stone quarry, this is a farming area
and of higher elevation than the surround-
ing territory. At this time the Rocky
Ridge Mission was located about a mile
away, but when Rocky Ridge built a new
church it was built near the village of
Paletown.

In order to create an interest in a Men-
nonite community, two meetings were held
at the mission. At the first meeting such
questions were discussed as, “In what way
do I think it will help the work and the
workers by moving into the community ?”
and “ ow can we help the young people
of the community ?” At the second meet-
ing a member from the community spoke
on, “Would I like to see the workers or
Christian families move into the com-
munity ? If so, why ?” There were also
other topics and a period of open discus-
sion. These meetings proved successful.

The first family to move into the com-
munity was the Titus Moyer family on
April 9, 1945. Titus continued his former
occupation, that of retailing farm produce
on the outskirts of Philadelphia. Since
he was the first to live here folks watched
him closely. Through the many favors

he did with his tractor and many other
helpful things he did for the community,
he was accepted by the people and thus
the church was made more a part of the
community. Titus sold land from his
farm to Ernest Moyer, who later erected
a hatchery on it, and to Lester Moyer, a
worker at Salem, a mission about three
miles north of Quakertown.

The second family to come was the
Willard Godshall family in the fall of
1945. He purchased the 30-acre Fellman
farm. After being in the community for
about a year, the barn caught fire from a
spark from burning brush and was com-
pletely destroyed. Later he sold some of
his land as building lots ; Marcus Clemens
bought some of the land on which the
Ridge Hosiery was built (now Van Raalte
Hosiery Co.). Leon Horst also bought a
building lot which he later sold to the
Hosiery. He later moved to a farm near
Quakertown.

The community came to a standstill for
some time and no industries were estab-
lished. Marcus Clemens and Ernest Moy-
er were called away and served in a
CPS camp. After Marcus Clemens was
released he, with a few others, began
working on plans to start a factory for
the manufacture of ladies’ hosiery. Early
in 1947 a new building was erected, and in
May it began operating. Since then they
have added to the building and increased
production several times.

In the fall of 1946 Ernest Moyer was
released from camp. He immediately
started building a chick hatchery. Opera-
tions began by early 1947. The first build-
ing, 30 x 40 feet, has been enlarged several
times. The hatchery provides employment
for workers from several missions as well
as people from the local community.

Another family that moved into the
community after CPS was the Norman
Miningers. For a few years they lived
on the James Lark farm, but later Nor-
man bought the house next to the church.

One development which started a little
later was a Mennonite day school. It
was started in September, 1951, in the

basement of the Rocky Ridge Church.
The children came from about six differ-
ent churches or missions in the surround-
ing territory. The next year a building
was erected. The school is set up to
take care of the eight grades. This addi-
tion to the community was welcomed by
the workers at the nearby Mennonite
churches. The local people expressed their
appreciation in seeing this development.

As we look over its history it is sad to
note that this community (the Rocky
Ridge area), which about 100 or 150 years
ago was occupied by many Mennonites
(New Mennonites), by 1931 had relative-
ly few residents who knew very much
about God or the Bible. I hope we will
not move out in the years to come, but
maintain a Christian witness here. I hope,
too, that Christian workers might con-
tinue to spread the Gospel by visiting,
giving out The Way, and by living a
Christian life, so that those living near us
will have the opportunity to know of Jesus
Christ.

The attendance of the church has not
always been on the increase. Attendance
in the past has gone up for a number of
years and then it dropped. This has been
repeated a number of times. In the crowd-
ed two-story house where Sunday school
was held previously, attendance was as
high as it is now in the new building.
Have we lost some of the family feeling
which we had in the smaller quarters or
does attendance follow a certain cycle?

FOOTNOTES

1 Linford Hackman in article "Brief History of
Rocky Ridge Mission" in September, 1942,
issue of Mission News and Linford Hackman
in a paper written to the writer, December,
1955.

-Paul Hendricks in article "Echoes of Rocky
Ridge" in the Mission News.

3 Ernest Moyer in a report on the investigation
of a building site.

4 Os win Detwiler, "Rocky Ridge Dedication" in
January, 1949, issue of Mission News.

5 Flora Fellman in a letter to J. Winfield
Fretz, April 26, 1945. The notes in paren-
theses are the author's.

0 Walter S. Hare in column "Paletown Area
Rich in Historic Data" in Quakertown Free
Press.

New District Historians

Several changes have been effected in
the appointment of district conference his-
torians since the list was published in the
July, 1956, issue. These changes are as
follows :

The Alberta- Saskatchewan Conference
has appointed Albert Guengerich, Mirror
Lake, P.O. Smith, Alberta, as historian
to succeed the late Ezra Stauffer who
served in that capacity for many years.

The Illinois Conference has appointed
Arthur Nafziger as historian for that con-
ference. His address is Hopedale, Illinois.

The Iowa-Nebraska Conference has ap-
pointed John W. Gingerich of Kalona,

Iowa, as chairman of their historical com-
mittee.

The passing of J. C. Fretz leaves that
office vacant in the Ontario Conference.

At the annual meeting of the Historical
Committee, at Goshen, Indiana, on April
6, 1957, Ira D. Landis reported the ap-
pointment of a historical committee in the
Washington-Franklin Mennonite Confer-
ence. Roy M. Showalter of Maugansville
is chairman, and the two other members
of the committee are Nelson Baer and
Clarence Shank.

A complete report of the annual meet-
ing of the Historical Committee will ap-
pear in the July issue.

MENNONITE HISTORICAL BULLETIN

I ublished quarterly by tlie Historical Committee of Mennonite General Conference at Scottdale, Pennsylvania, and distributed to the
members of the Mennonite Historical Association. Editor: Irvin B. Horst: Office Editor: John A. Hostetler; Associate Editors: Harold
Bauman, Harold S. Bender, Ernest R. Clemens, Melvin Gingerich, Ira D. Landis, Paul Peachey, Nelson P. Springer, Grant Stoltzfus
John C. M enger, Samuel S. Wenger, John C. Wenger. Dues for regular membership ($1.50 per year) or for sustaining membership
($5.00 or more annually) may be sent to to the treasurer of the Association, Ira D. Landis, R # 1, Bareville, Pa. Articles and news
items should be addressed to the editor, Irvin B. Horst, Eastern Mennonite College, Harrisonburg, Va.

Vol. XVIII July, 1957 No. 3

phia with a group of 348 Palatine
Mennonites and settled in Hans

A History of Metzlers Mennonite Congregation

By Robert B. Wenger

This article is an attempt to brief-
ly relate the history of Metzlers
Mennonite Church from its begin-
ning in 1827 to the present date.
Metzlers is located in West Earl
Township, Lancaster County, Penn-
sylvania. It is situated close to the
road leading from Akron to Farm-
ersville, approximately halfway be-
tween these two points. Originally
Metzlers was a part of the Weaver -
land-Groffdale District of Lancaster
Conference, but when the District
was divided in 1939 it became a part
of the Groffdale section. The mem-
bership at present consists of slight-
ly more than two hundred persons.

The Founding of the Congregation

To understand the earliest history
of the congregation one has to note
the ancestry and biographies of
those who were instrumental in
founding it. Valentine Metzler, the
European ancestor of the Mennonite
Metzlers, was born February 24, 1726
in Switzerland, and died July 24,
1783, in Pennsylvania. His parental
home was a Christian one which had
undergone much persecution. He
came to America in 1738, at the age
of twelve years, with his father Yost
Metzler. The father apparently died
soon afterwards, leaving the son an
orphan. They arrived at Philadel-

Herr’s haven in “Penn’s Woods.”

Valentine married Anna Nisli
(Nissley) , third and youngest daugh-
ter of Jacob Nissley, from near Lan-
caster City, on December 19, 1749.
They began life together in the Lan-
dis Valley District, the area due
east of Lancaster City. Valentine
was a staunch and pious Mennonite
and was chosen minister and bishop.
He served the church faithfully,
reared a large family, which mar-
ried in the Mennonite Church, be-
fore he died July 24, 1783. 1

Their son Jacob, 1755-1814, mar-
ried Maria Hess of the Hess congre-
gation. They settled in West Earl
Township in 1786 on a seventy-acre
farm. They buried a small daugh-
ter in a plot on their farm which
eventually became the burial ground
of Metzlers congregation. Their son,
Jacob II, sold the plot to the trus-

tees of the congregation on May 26,
1827, for burial ground and church
purposes. The church built on this
plot has since become known as
Metzlers Mennonite Meeting House. 2

The History of the Church Buildings

The trustees to whom Jacob Metz-
ler II sold the plot of land were Ja-
cob Nolt, Christian Meyer, Jr., and
Henry Stoner. The deed of convey-
ance is a very interesting one. In
addition to containing a description
of the sixty perches of land, the long
recital gives directions as to the
manner of proceeding for the elec-
tion of trustees:

“In trust to and for the only prop-
er use purpose and intent of a burial
ground and Menonist Meeting House
to be erected and built on the hereby

granted lot of ground, and further in
trust to and for the only proper use
and intent that the society of Men-
onists or the regular members of the
said society who shall attend public
worship at or in the said meeting
house shall have a right to assemble
annually in the said meeting house
on the first Monday in May of each
and every year hereafter for the
purpose of electing by ballot, three
trustees for the ensuing year, and
until other trustees shall be elected,
public verbal notice of such election
shall be given to the members of the
said society at the two meetings held
in said meeting house next preced-
ing such day on which the election is
to be held. Such notice is to be given
by the preacher or either of the el-
ders of the said society assembling
for public worship at said meeting
house.” 3

No person, except he be a member
of the “society of Mennonites,” could
serve as a trustee. NonMennonites
could be buried in the graveyard,

Metzlers Meetinghouse

2

MENNONITE HISTORICAL BULLETIN

but no nonMennonite could preach
in the church except on the occasion
of a funeral. The trustees named as
grantees in the deed were also ap-
pointed as managers to erect and
build the meetinghouse. 4

The date when the construction of
the meetinghouse began cannot be
accurately determined. If it was not
begun in 1827 it must have been
shortly afterwards, because it was
completed by May 8, 1830. The first
church building was of frame and
log construction and its dimensions
were 28 by 30 feet. It was almost
square, thus following the European
style of architecture for Mennonite
meetinghouses. Its cost was $420.24.
The money was obtained by dona-
tion from members of the “Mennon-
ite Society.” In amount the dona-
tions ranged from $2 to $40, with
fifty-five people making contribu-
tions. The most common names
among the donators were: Nolt,
Wenger, Metzler, Meyer, Stoner,
Rupp, Groff, Burkholder, Hurst,
Weaver, and Wolf. 5

This was the first Mennonite meet-
inghouse in the immediate commu-
nity. Prior to this time the Mennon-
ites in this area worshipped in homes
or at the Groffdale meetinghouse,
located six miles to the southeast.
Metzlers was in a circuit with Groff-
dale and the Pike meetinghouse, lo-
cated a short distance east of Hin-
kletown on the Harrisburg Road.
The latter meetinghouse is six miles
northeast of Metzlers and is now oc-
cupied by the Stauffer and Weaver
Mennonites. Services were held at
each place every three weeks. This
circuit continued until 1847 when the
Stauffer Mennonites withdrew from
the main group and occupied the
Pike meetinghouse.

The schism came about when a
difference of opinion arose in the
Groffdale congregation as to the ex-
tent and nature of confession re-
quired and the discipline to be met-
ed out to a brother and sister ac-
cused of harsh and cruel treatment
of an orphan girl adopted into their
family. Sides were taken throughout
the brotherhood which seriously di-
vided the ministerial group and even
the bishops of the district. In Feb-
ruary, 1846, an edict or plan of rec-
onciliation was issued by the board
of bishops. This was signed by all
the bishops except Jacob Brubaker
of the Juniata district.

The two leaders of the group who
did not agree with the bishops were
Jacob Stauffer and Jacob Weber,
ministers of the Groffdale “bench.”
They presented a carefully written
answer to the bishops at a meeting
which was called to reconcile the
differences. The dissident group
decided to withdraw and named Ja-
cob Brubaker as their bishop. With-

out any dispute the mother church
allowed them to have the Pike meet-
inghouse. After this event Metzlers
and Groffdale operated on a circuit
on which services were held alter-
nately at the two places. This prac-
tice lasted until approximately fif-
teen years ago when services began
every Sunday at both places.

The original church building served
The purposes of the congregation un-
til 1864. At this time a fifteen-foot
addition was made to the church
building. Also eighty-five perches
of land were bought and added to
the original plot. The trustees at
this time were Daniel Meyer, Jacob
S. Metzler, and Isaac Burkholder.
The cost of the land and building
was $526.23. Donations received
amounted to $636. 78. 5

A special clause in the recital of
the deed which conveyed the eighty-
five perches of land to the trustees
stated that the land should return to
the grantors in case it should be
abandoned by the “Mennonite Soci-
ety”:

“And further subject to and re-
serving that if at any time the said
premises shall not be used or occu-
pied by the said Mennonite Society
as and for their uses and purposes,
as herein declared and set forth with
intention of perpetual abandonment
of the same, in that case, the here-
by granted premises shall descend to
and reverse back to the said Jacob
Metzler his heirs and assigns of the
adjoining premise.” 7

In the last decade of the nine-
teenth century it was decided that
the frame and log church building,
which had served the congregation
seventy years, was no longer suit-
able. The original building was
razed and a new one constructed of
brick, sixty-two feet in length, was
erected in its place. The cost of this
building, together with thirty-one
perches of land purchased from Bar-
bara L. Metzler, amounted to $2,-
621.83. The cost again was met by
donations from the members. The
building committee was composed of
Jacob Stoner, president; John Metz-
ler, treasurer; and Noah Mack, sec-
retary. The trustees at the time
were Abraham Stoner, John Sauder,
and Samuel Metzler.

This building had a basement
which provided for the meeting of
Sunday school classes. The first
Sunday school at Metzlers was held
in April 1897. Along with the new
building the congregation also ac-
quired new hymnbooks, Hymns and
Tunes. These were used for about
twelve years when the Church
Hymnal was substituted. These are
still used at present.

The 1897 building (except for the
basement) remained in its original
form until 1952, when it was re-
modeled and a twenty-two foot an-

nex made to the west. This, togeth-
er with further excavation under the
main building, provided additional
Sunday school room and seating
space at the time of large meetings.
A new heating system and lavatories
were installed. The old portion was
veneered with a layer of new bricks.
The cost of the remodeling program
was $26,375.27, and again the out-
lay was met by donations from the
members. The members of the
building committee were Robert
Benner, president; Christian High,
treasurer; Elmer Metzler, secretary;
Roy Zimmerman, and Elam Witmer.
The present church building is an
attractive brick building, surround-
ed by a number of large shade trees.
Its architecture is simple and func-
tionally well adapted for its pur-
poses.

The Leaders of ihe Congregation

Bishops. The first bishop of Metz-
lers was Jacob Zimmerman. He was
the third resident bishop of the
Weaverland-Groffdale District. He
was ordained in 1815 as an assistant
to Henry Martin and upon the death
of the latter served until 1856. Zim-
merman’s successor was George
Weaver, a fifth generation descend-
ant of Henry Weber, the first settler
in the Weaverland area. He was
chosen bishop in 1854 and was
known as a tactful and forceful
leader in the congregations. During
his twenty-nine years of service the
membership increased greatly in
numbers.

Jonas H. Martin became the third
bishop in the district in 1881. It is
imperative to take a brief look at the
schism which developed during his
years of service. At the time in 1871
when the Lancaster Conference
passed a resolution in favor of Sun-
day schools George Weaver was the
leader of the opposition to the move-
ment. However, many farsighted
men in the Weaverland-Groffdale
District foresaw the necessity of
English preaching and longed for the
opportunity to teach young people
special Bible lessons in that lan-
guage. The sentiments in favor of
Sunday schools and the English lan-
guage grew and were accepted by a
large majority of the members. The
ministerial board, however, changed
more slowly.

In 1893, at the fall conference Jo-
nas Martin announced that he with
many of his members were not in
union with certain articles and prac-
tices of the conference. Among these
was the article allowing Sunday
schools to be held. The board of
bishops plead with him and his
group to accept the articles for the
sake of harmony and the good of
the church. However, he would not
be moved, so that the board finally

MENNONITE HISTORICAL BULLETIN

3

deposed him of his bishop responsi-
bilities and withdrew his charge as
a minister of the Mennonite Church.
Bishop Martin and his supporters
met and adopted a series of rulings
and regulations designed to provide
stricter discipline and more conser-
vativeness. They gathered into the
new organization about one-third of
the members of the Weaverland-
Groffdale District, which has since
become known as “The Weaverland
Conference.” A number of members
from Metzlers joined this new body.
This group is still active, but their
membership has declined and many
of their number have returned to
the mother church.

Between the years of 1893 and
1903 no resident bishop served the
Weaverland-Groffdale District. In
1902 Benjamin Weaver, nephew of
former bishop George Weaver, was
ordained as bishop. He was in charge
of the congregations during the time
of World War I which brought on
many perplexing problems. He pre-
sided over his flock diligently and
labored tirelessly until his death in
1928.

Benjamin Weaver had a very ca-
pable and outstanding leader for his
assistant. He was Noah H. Mack.
Mack was ordained to the ministry
at Groffdale in 1900, and in 1919 he
became bishop-assistant to Brother
Weaver. He held this office until
1926, when he accepted a call from
the Adams- York County District to
serve as bishop. However, he re-
tained his residence in New Holland
and kept an active interest in his
earlier field of labor, continuing to
fill preaching engagements there.
Even before his ordination to the
ministry, Brother Mack contributed
much as a lay member to Metzlers.
He was a leading figure in the build-
ing program of 1897; he was actively
interested in the Sunday school
movement and had much to do with
the organization of the first school in
April 1897. Bro. Mack passed on to
his reward October 30, 1948 at the
ripe old age of eighty-seven years.

Noah Mack was succeeded at the
time he took up the charge in Ad-
ams-York County District by John
M. Sauder. Brother Sauder was or-
dained bishop in 1928 and served
until his death in 1939. Shortly be-
fore his death, Bro. Sauder made
plans to divide his district into two
separate sections. This was not car-
ried through in his time but when
he died two bishops were ordained.
Mahlon Witmer was ordained for
the Groffdale district and J. Paul
Graybill for the Weaverland Dis-
trict. This marked the division of
the Weaverland-Groffdale District.
Bro. Witmer is presently the bishop
of the Groffdale District and resides
at New Holland. He serves the

seven congregations in the district:
Groffdale, Metzlers, New Holland,
Carpenters, Hinkletown, Fraser, and
Palo Alto.

Ministers. The first minister to
take charge of the religious life of
the Mennonites at Metzlers was
William Westhafer. He lived near
Fairmount in West Earl Township
and had been ordained at Groffdale
soon after 1810. He preached in pri-
vate homes in the Metzlers commu-
nity long before the first meeting-
house was built. He served until
1826 when he moved to Cumberland
County.

Probably the first minister to
preach in the Metzlers meetinghouse
was Jacob Weber, who was ordained
for the district soon after Westhafer
left. Weber served at Metzlers and
the Pike until 1846 when he cast his
lot with the Stauffer branch of the
church. Jacob Stauffer, ordained in
1840, also joined the Stauffer group
after laboring at Metzlers six years.

Abraham Martin, who was or-
dained in October, 1847, to fill the
vacancies left by Weber and Stauf-
fer, served until 1889 when he died
at the age of ninety-one years. At
that time he was the oldest minister
in the Mennonite church in the
County. Martin’s assistant and suc-
cessor was Joseph Wenger; he was
killed in 1907 when struck by a
train. He was the senior member of
the ministerial board of the District
and travelled extensively in the in-
terest of the church. During Wen-
ger’s period Elias Nolt served as
minister from 1868 to 1900. Nolt
held progressive views and was an
ardent supporter of the Sunday
school movement.

On December 26, 1895, Isaiah Wit-
mer was chosen to assist Wenger
and Nolt who were both well along
in years. Witmer was able, after he
became senior minister, to retire
from other duties and devote his en-
tire time to the work of the church.
He died in 1937.

Benjamin G. Wenger, grandfather
of the writer, was ordained in 1908
and served the Ephrata congregation
along with Metzlers and Groffdale.
Devoting much time to evangelistic
work and special meetings through-
out the County, he was highly re-
spected by fellow ministers and the
laity. He died in 1942. Banks
Winey must also be mentioned. He
moved into the community as an or-
dained man in 1910 and labored
among his brethren until his death
in 1918.

The living ministers who have
been called to serve the Metzlers
and Groffdale congregations are: Eli
G. Sauder, Amos H. Sauder, Lester
Hoover, John Martin, and Paul S.
Wenger. Eli Sauder was ordained
in 1920 and has served at both con-

gregations for thirty-seven years.
In 1940 Amos H. Sauder, Jr. was or-
dained to serve both congregations.
Lester Hoover was ordained at Groff-
dale in 1944 but more recently has
taken the pastoral responsibility at
the Palo Alto mission church. In
1949 two ministers were ordained:
John Martin at Groffdale and Paul
Wenger at Metzlers. Although they
are primarily responsible for the re-
spective congregations at Groffdale
and Metzlers, they occasionally
preach in each other’s pulpit. Bro-
ther Wenger, uncle of the writer,
was the first minister to be ordained
at Metzlers. All the previous min-
isters were ordained at Groffdale.

Deacons. Through the years a
number of deacons have served the
Metzlers congregation. They have
been: Abraham Burkholder, Benja-
min Wenger, Abraham B. Kendig,
John H. Martin, Michael W. Nolt,
Samuel Metzler, Amos B. Sauder,
and Paul H. Weaver. In 1905, be-
ginning with Samuel Metzler, dea-
cons were chosen at Metzlers, rath-
er than at Groffdale as had been the
case heretofore. Paul H. Weaver, or-
dained in 1944, is the present deacon.

Ouireach of ihe Congregation

An instance of interest in relief
work on the part of Metzlers is on
record for the years 1874-75. At this
time many Russian Mennonites were
leaving Russia and coming to North
America. Most of them were poverty
stricken and in physical need in gen-
eral. The members of the congrega-
tion at this time took the opportu-
nity to help their Mennonite breth-
ren. Two collections taken, one in
1874 and another one in 1875, raised
a total of $457.00, of which $132.58
was later paid back.

Through the years many of the
members at Metzlers have engaged
in mission outreach. Mr. and Mrs.
John W. Hess served at several mis-
sion points in the Midwest. Amanda
Musselman, from the Groffdale con-
gregation but who also attended
Metzlers, spent twenty-five years at
city missions in Chicago and Phila-
delphia. Mr. and Mrs. Levi Sauder
gave a term of service at the Welsh
Mountain Industrial Mission and
Millersville Children’s Home. Mr.
and Mrs. John H. Weaver also spent
two years at Welsh Mountain Indus-
trial Mission. Mabel Weaver Mar-
ner was a worker for a number of
years at Reading and Philadelphia.
Minnie Eberly Holsopple served in
the South. Barbara Eberly has
been at the Johnstown mission.
More recently Mr. and Mrs. Reuben
Horst have spent a term of service
in Belgium and one in Tanganyika.

Members from Metzlers have been
influential in establishing several lo-
cal outposts. Benjamin G. Wenger
and Samuel Metzler, with other

4

MENNONITE HISTORICAL BULLETIN

members, helped to start the Ephra-
ta congregation. Members from Metz-
lers helped to establish the Carpen-
ters congregation near Brownstown.
The Hinkletown congregation is for
the most part an outgrowth of Metz-
lers. Esther Mellinger Bair, who pi-
oneered in Summer Bible School in
the Metzlers area was instrumental
in opening work at Hinkletown. A
Christian Workers’ Band, begun in
1948, provided an avenue of service
for the young people of the congre-
gation. They have contributed much
time and effort to the Palo Alto Mis-
sion at Pottsville in Center County,
Pennsylvania, in the form of month-
ly jail services and the distribution
of gospel literature. They also par-
ticipate in street meetings and serv-
ices at convalescent homes in Phila-
delphia.

The annual meeting of the His-
torical Committee of General Con-
ference was held this year on April
6 at Goshen College. Last year the
Committee was the guest of Samuel
S. Wenger at Paradise, Pa., and next
year, the Lord willing, it will meet
at Eastern Mennonite College.

The members present this year
were Harold Bauman, H. S. Bender,
J. A. Hostetler, Ira D. Landis, N. P.
Springer (proxy for Melvin Ginger -
ich), J. C. Wenger, Samuel S. Wen-
ger, and Gideon Yoder. Three were
absent: Ernest R. Clemens, Paul
Peachey, and Grant Stoltzfus. The
Committee’s membership of ten is
appointed by General Conference.
In 1956 two members, Ernest R.
Clemens and J. C. Fretz, were co-
opted. Due to the decease of Bro.
Fretz during the past year the Com-
mittee co-opted Irvin B. Horst at its
1957 meeting. The officers of the
Committee are: H. S. Bender, Chair-
man; J. C. Wenger, Secretary; and
Ira D. Landis, Treasurer.

Items of business transacted at the
1957 meeting, as taken from the sec-
retary’s minutes, are the following:

3. Moved and carried to authorize
the secretary to send a letter of con-
dolence to the widow of our late
commitee member, J. C. Fretz.

4. The Chairman reported that
Harvey Snyder and Paul Burkhold-
er are working on the disposition of
the S. F. Coffman papers, the task on
which J. C. Fretz was laboring when
he passed away. Our Chairman has
counseled with the brethren Snyder
and Burkholder in their task.

9. The Chairman reported on the
proposal of Walter Eisenbeiss, a Lu-
theran who became a Mennonite
through MCC influence, that he
translate some Anabaptist docu-
ments from German into English.

13. Moved and carried to extend

FOOTNOTES

1 Book M-M, pp. 77-80, Recorder’s Office,
Lancaster County Courthouse.

2 For Valentine Metzler see Ira D. Landis,
“Fifty Mennonite Leaders : Valentine Metz-
ler,” Gospel Herald (Jan. 3, 1935, p. 846).

3 Book F-5-552, Lancaster County Court-
house.

4 Ibid.

5 Statements of donations and expenses in
possession of Reuben Horst.

6 Statements in possession of Reuben Horst.

7 Book K-9-39, Lancaster County Court-
house.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

J. Paul Graybill, et al., Noah H. Mack, His
Life and Times 1861-1948 (Published by
Lancaster Conference and printed at
Scottdale, Pa., n.d. [1952]).

Ira D. Landis, “Fifty Mennonite Leaders:
Valentine Metzler,” Gospel Herald (Jan. 3,
1935), p. 846.

Martin G. Weaver, Mennonites of Lancaster
Conference (Scottdale, 1931).

Deed recorded in the Lancaster County
Courthouse.

MS papers in possession of Reuben Horst.
MS papers in possession of Elmer Metzler.
Interview with Amanda S. Wenger.

a vote of thanks to Walter E. Os-
wald, both for his regular services
as Archivist and for his donated la-
bor after his resignation.

15. and 16. John A. Hostetler gave
his report as editor of Mennonite
Historical Bulletin . It was agreed
in reference to the Bulletin :

a. To print enough copies to have
a surplus stock of about 200
copies of each issue.

b. To give five complimentary
copies to writers of articles.

c. To send no extra copies to as-
sociate editors unless requested.

d. Moved and passed to invite Ir-
vin B. Horst to serve as editor
for the coming biennium, and J.
A. Hostetler as assistant editor.

17. Harold S. Bender, editor, re-
ported on The Mennonite Encyclo-
pedia. All the manuscripts, pictures,
and maps for Volume III have been
submitted to Mennonite Publishing
House. It is hoped to have Volume
III off the press by July 1, 1957.

18. H. S. Bender reported that the
publication of the Tauferakten vol-
umes has been delayed by a slow
delivery of manuscripts by authors.
Two small volumes of Hans Denk
materials have appeared. Other vol-
umes of Alsatian and Hutterite ma-
terials are currently in preparation.

19. It was agreed to ask the Sec-
retary of our Committee to commu-
nicate our desire to see our ministers
secure The Mennonite Encyclopedia
to cur district conference officers,
and to prepare a letter to be made
available to our Sunday school li-
brarians for mailing out by Men-
nonite Publishing House.

21. It was agreed to appoint Mel-
vin Gingerich to manage the Men-
nonite History Essay Contest for the
1957-59 biennium, with J. C. Wenger

caring for the work until Gingerich
returns.

23. John A. Hostetler reported on
the proposed History of Mennonite
Publishing House. Suggestions were
made for the enrichment of the
volume.

24. John A. Hostetler solicited
suggestions for the observance of
the fiftieth anniversary of the House.
H. S. Bender pledged the readiness
of the Historical Committee to help
in any possible way. Perhaps a trav-
eling exhibit could be taken from
one district conference to another.
Could our Publishing House issue a
pictorial volume on our churches
and institutions? A few maps could
be included.

25. The Committee re-elected Har-
old S. Bender to another four-year
term on the General Council, 1957-
1961.

32. Harold S. Bender exhibited
Volume 25 of The Christian Classics
which is devoted to “the Radical Re-
formation.” The Committee felt that
we should still go ahead with our
plans for an Anabaptist reader.

35. Ira D. Landis reported the cre-
ation of a historical committee in
the Washington-Franklin District,
with Roy M. Showalter, Maugans-
ville, Md., as chairman.

36. The Committee authorized its
officers to arrange for a meeting of
district conference historians for
mutual stimulation and helpfulness.

37. The Committee went on record
as favoring the translation and pub-
lication in English of N. van der
Zijpp’s Dutch history of the Dutch
Mennonites.

42. The Committee agreed to the
removal of the Archives from the
Memorial Library to the proposed
new seminary building, and author-
ized the Chairman and Secretary to
abrogate the agreement now in ef-
fect as betwen the Historical Com-
mittee and the Board of Education,
and to negotiate a new agreement
locating the Archives in the Semi-
nary Building, provided no financial
obligation to the Historical Commit-
tee is incurred thereby. The pro-
posed quarters for the Archives in-
volves a substantial increase in space
for the Archives, for which the His-
torical Committee is deeply grateful.

43. Moved and carried to approve
the layout of space in the new Ar-
chives arrangement, and to empower
the Chairman and Secretary to plan
further in this area.

44. It was agreed to ask H. S.
Bender, Melvin Gingerich and N. P.
Springer to serve as an Equipment
Committee to make definite plans
for the equipment of the Archives in
the Seminary Building.

47. Attention was called to Ira D.
Landis’ new book, The Lancaster
Mennonite Conference, History and
Background, 1956.

The 1957 Meeting of the Historical Committee

MENNONITE HISTORICAL BULLETIN

Published quarterly by the Historical Committee of Mennonite General Conference at Scottdale, Pennsylvania, and distributed to the
members of the Mennonite Historical Association. Editor: Irvin B. Horst; Office Editor: John A. Hostetler; Associate Editors: Harold
Bauman, Harold S. Bender, Ernest R. Clemens, Melvin Gingerich, Ira D. Landis, Paul Peachey, Nelson P. Springer, Grant Stoltzfus,
John C. Wenger, Samuel S. Wenger, John C. Wenger. Dues for regular membership ($1.50 per year) or for sustaining membership
($5.00 or more annually) may be sent to to the treasurer of the Association, Ira D. Landis, R # 1, Bareville, Pa. Articles and news
items should be addressed to the editor, Irvin B. Horst, Eastern Mennonite College, Harrisonburg, Va.

Vol. XVIX OCTOBER, 1957 No. 4

The Wandering Soul,

A Remarkable Book
of Devotion

Irvin B. Horst

No book of Mennonite authorship
has been more frequently reprinted
— and presumably read — -than The
Wandering Soul. 1 Although no long-
er known to English readers, it is
still in print in a German edition
and cherished in many Amish house-
holds. The book has gone through
no less than 90 editions in the Dutch,
German, and English languages since
it first appeared in the year 1635 at
the town of Alkmaar in Holland.
Who was the author of this remark-
able book? What is the nature of its
contents? Why did it become so
popular? These are the questions
one asks today about a book which
so often turns up in grandfather’s
library or among the family heir-
looms in the attic.

The author, Jan Philip Schabaelje,
1592-1656, was a Waterlander Men-
nonite, a figure of some note in his
own church circles and in Dutch re-
ligious and literary life in general. 2
He came from Zeeland, from the is-
land of Walcheren, where his family
were millers. In his youth he did a
great deal of versifying, for when
the Walchers Liedeboeck, a poetical
miscellany, appeared in 1611 it con-
tained over a hundred of his poems.
The next year he went to Amster-
dam and made his way among the
Mennonites there, engaged in the
milling business, and continued to
write. In 1620 he accepted the re-
sponsibilities of a minister (dienaar),
but four years later moved to Alk-
maar and became a fellow-minister
of Hans de Ries. This was not suc-
cessful, and in 1648 Schabaelje re-
turned to Amsterdam where he
spent the remainder of his life writ-
ing, publishing, and selling books.

Schabaelje’s writings were chiefly
of a devotional nature. Some of his
early verse got into Het Rijper Liet-
boecxken, an early Waterlander
hymnbook, first published in 1624 by
his friend Claes Jacobsz at the vil-
lage of De Rijp. Other poems, in-
cluding his better ones from a liter-
ary standpoint, appeared in 9 t Ghee-
stelijck Kruydt-Hofken (The Garden
of Spiritual Herbs) in 1629, also

published by Jacobsz. Much of his
verse had literary merit and in style
as well as in subject content antici-
pated the poetry of Dirk Camphuy-
sen and Jan Luiken, the most no-
table of the Dutch devotional writ-
ers during the 17th century. 3

Schabaelje, as well as his pub-
lisher friend Jacobsz from De Rijp,
was a member of a circle of religious
seekers and devotional writers at
Amsterdam. The group was likely
never organized in a formal way,
but its members met frequently and
wrote much. Their activities were
spiritualistic in emphasis with much
concern about the cultivation of the
inner life. In many ways they were
similar to the later Collegiants, and
the Mennonite members, particular-
ly, had much in common with the
Lamists who arose later in the cen-
tury under the leadership of Galenus
(Continued on Page 2)

UettooIsD fcec Collatien

UanDe w andelende Ziele tllCt
Symeon Cleophas 0
SetBanustatoe

<De beg Hubert Cetfa*

mciU0 Dun Abraham af tot op De 1&e(hU;
cue ^eiujuUtnst toe,

Vermeerdert

M et meet Ccpcre ©Jaetgeng alg opt boo?

eefen gocojuttu.

t’Amfterdam,

25p IanAibertfz. ^taeft-berftoopet op be
4ftteutoen-®rjck/ in't ABC,

Anno i(5 4 i.

Title page from the 1641 Dutch edi-
tion of The Wandering Soul. Trans-
lated it reads, Continuation of the
Colloquies of the Wandering Soul
with Simon Cleophas, Treating the
History of the Old Testament from
the Time of Abraham until the De-
struction of Jerusalem. The motto
in the emblem is, “Consider the lilies
of the field, how they grow.”

Biographical Sketch of
Joseph Sohm

John F. Funk

(Until the discovery of this sketch
among the literary records of John
F. Funk, next to nothing was known
about the translator of the Martyrs 9
Mirror. In the original copy many
of the nouns are capitalized, and one
of the sentences was cut into two,
while two other sentences have been
combined in editing the sketch for
publication. Material in brackets
was supplied by myself. J.C.W.)

Joseph Sohm was born in Ger-
many, probably in the early sixties
[1860-65]. He was of Catholic par-
entage, but after coming to America,
he became a Methodist.

When he first came to Elkhart he
was employed as compositor in the
office of the Mennonite Publishing
Company. Later he took a position
as proofreader and translator. He
translated among other articles and
booklets The Book of Martyrs, the
largest and most highly esteemed
book ever published by the Mennon-
ite people. It was printed in this
country in 1747-8-9. The oldest edi-
tions were printed in the Holland
[German] language by the Seclu-
sionists, at Ephrata, Pa. It required
three years of hard labor for 15 men
to translate and print and bind the
work. The old German editions
were 11 x 15 inches and contained
about 1500 double-column pages.
These were printed in large type.

The book from which Mr. Sohm
made his translation was a folio edi-
tion illustrated with many wood-cut
engravings printed in Holland in
17— [1685 ?].

Mr. Sohm also [labored] on this
book for three years. While thus
engaged he made a trip to Germany
taking the Holland edition and the
other books needful for the work
with him, and on shipboard and in
Europe when leisure time permitted
he continued his work while on his
journey. He wrote a small and dis-
tinct hand and when the work was
completed he had ten thousand man-
uscript pages, and when these were
printed we had a book containing
over one thousand, royal octavo
double-column paper, which [was]
a beautiful volume, illustrated, con-
(Continued on Page 7)

2

MENNONITE HISTORICAL BULLETIN

THE WANDERING SOUL

(Continued from Page 1)

Abrahamsz. Other members of the
group were Pieter Pietersz and Ju-
dith Lubberts, both Mennonites and
writers of devotional literature.
Lubberts, a poetess of some ability,
was betrothed to Schabaelje but this
was dissolved in 1629, apparently for
religious reasons. At least Lubberts
joined the Catholics during the same
year, and in so doing preceded an-
other Mennonite of her time and the
greatest of all Dutch literary figures,
Joost van den Vondel. Robert Fried-
mann has written an excellent intro-
duction to the writings of Pieter
Pietersz and Schabaelje, but it is
confusing to consider these writers
pietistic rather than spiritualistic. 4

The immediate background, then,
which shaped The Wandering Soul
was 17th century Dutch spiritualism.
In subject matter it was chiefly his-
torical, but in purpose it was a work
of devotion. In the preface the au-
thor described it as “stichtelijck en
nuttelijck” (devotional and useful)

practical edification. This becomes
evident too from the devotional tract
to which it is appended, Lusthof des
Gemoets, inhoudende verscheyden
Geestelijcke Oeffeningen (A Pleas-
ant Garden of the Mind, Containing
Various Spiritual Exercises). This
title, Schabaelje informed the read-
er, may also be given to the second
part of the book.

Schabaelje’s books in general were
works of spiritual and ethical edifi-
cation. Historische beschrijving van
het leven Jesu Christi (An Historical
Description of the Life of Jesus
Christ), first published in 1647 by
Jacobsz, encouraged the reader to
imitate the life of Christ. Metamor-
phosis, the last of his books and pub-
lished a year after his death, was a
dialogue between an historian and a
pilgrim intended to show man's true
nature in Christ. Schabaelje was al-
so a promoter of unity among the
Dutch Mennonite groups. To this
end he drew up a confession of faith,
V ereenigingh van de principale a r-
tijkeln des geloofs (A Union of the
Principal Articles of Faith), which
came out in 1640 and was several
times reprinted.

In Dutch The Wandering Soul was
never published as a separate book.
It was always a supplement to the
preliminary work, Lusthof des Ge-
moeds. (Except for the illustration
reproduced here from the 1641 edi-
tion the book never had a separate
title page. This 1641 title page ac-
tually pertains only to the third part
of The Wandering Soul or the dia-
logue with Simeon Cleophas.) The
two works were separated when the
German translation was made in the
18th century, and Die wandelnde
Seele appeared as a unified and in-

dependent work. It has remained so
throughout the many German edi-
tions in both Europe and America.
Since the English translation was
made directly from the German the
same has been true of the various
English editions. The supplement
has outlived and become more im-
portant than the first part of the
book.

In the early editions the title in
Dutch was Collatien der wandelende
Ziele which later was changed to
Samenspraaken der wandelende
Ziele. The form of the work, as the
title suggests, was that of a colloquy
or dialogue. Schabaelje refers to
Erasmus in the introduction and he
was no doubt aware of the popular-
ity of his fellow countryman’s collo-
quies in both the Latin and vernac-
ular languages of Europe. The form
was a popular one in the Middle
Ages and later and employed for
edificatory treatises as well as con-
troversial ones. More specifically,
however, “collatie” referred to a re-
ligious discourse or sometimes to a
short devotional talk or sermon.
Schabaelje was also aware of the
dual meaning of the term and toyed
with the idea of the Wandering Soul
collating the records of history with
actual eyewitness accounts from
Adam and Noah. 5 He also knew
that much of his work amounted to a
paraphrasing of his sources, partic-
ularly the Scriptures. This method,
he explained, possibly to answer
criticism, was used acceptably and
with much profit by Erasmus, Karel
van Mander, Du Bartas, and others. 6

To the first edition of Lusthof des
Gemoeds (1635) Schabaelje append-
ed, seemingly as an after thought,
two colloquies in which a pilgrim
conversed with Adam and Noah.
This pilgrim character was named
the Wandering Soul and represented
the spiritual nature of every earnest
Christian who longed for counsel
from men of faith in the past. The
creation of this type of a character
appears to have been original with
Schabaelje. Beginning with the edi-
tion of 1638 a third colloquy was
added, that of the Wandering Soul
with Simeon Cleophas. This dia-
logue, in comparison with the for-
mer two, is a greatly expanded one.
In the duodecimo edition in 1641 it
runs on for more than 400 pages and
covers a period of history from the
time of Abraham to the year 109 A.D.
Simeon was taken from the Eccle-
siastical History of Eusebius, where
he is reported to have been a con-
temporary of Christ and Paul and to
have witnessed the destruction of
Jerusalem.

The Lusthof with its appended
colloquies was a successful work and
at least 14 editions appeared in
Dutch during the lifetime of the
author. In 1656, the year of Scha-

baelje’s death, a revised edition ap-
peared which contained two addi-
tional colloquies — the Wandering
Soul with Jacob and Joseph — and a
new set of etched illustrations. The
earlier editions were illustrated with
rather crude but expressive wood-
cuts. The revision must not have
been successful, for all future edi-
tions omitted the new dialogues as
well as the new illustrations. In
1706, after more than 35 editions had
been printed, the book was graced
with a new set of etchings by Jan
Luiken. This artist, it will be re-
called, had created the illustrations
for the second edition (1685) of Van
Braght’s Martyrs’ Mirror. The com-
bination was ideal: the baroque
style of Luiken interpreted well the
religious fervor of Schabaelje’s char-
acters.

All told more than fifty editions of
the work appeared in Dutch until
1768. Sometime in the 18th century
the dialogues were translated into
German. The translator is not known
for certain, but I. Daniel Rupp, the
English translator in 1834, believed
he was Benedict Brackbill, the well-
known Swiss Mennonite leader and
pioneer settler in Pennsylvania. Suf-
ficient evidence for this view is lack-
ing but all the German editions con-
tain the initials B.B.B. as those of
the translator. The translator had a
very high opinion of the dialogues,
for in his preface he is bold to ac-
cord it a place alongside the Bible
itself. The earliest German edition
known by the writer of this article
is that of 1741, printed by Johann
Conrad Mechels at Basel. This edi-
tion, however, is the fourth, so that
the original work likely appeared
in the 1720s if not before.

At least thirteen German editions
were printed in Europe. Most of
these were from the press of the
Von Mechels firm at Basel but some
appeared at Frankfurt and Stutt-
gart. The German edition was
brought to America, and in 1768 the
first edition on this side of the At-
lantic was published by Christopher
Saur at Germantown. Eighteen ad-
ditions in German appeared in this
country, most of them in the 19th
century, but one, called the 14th edi-
tion, was printed in 1919 by the
Mennonite Publishing House at
Scottdale, Pennsylvania. More re-
cently, in 1952, J. A. Raber of Baltic,
Ohio, published a German edition
which is still in print.

The popularity of Die wandelnde
Seele in America assured its trans-
lation into English. This was done
by I. Daniel Rupp and first published
by him in 1834 at Harrisburg, Penn-
sylvania. Subsequently five English
editions appeared in Pennsylvania
and two in Virginia. The English
translation has not been a very sat-
(Continued on Page 4)

MENNONITE HISTORICAL BULLETIN

3

News and Notes

FAMILY HISTORIES. They often
appear unannounced and in a lim-
ited number of copies. Two were
recently published in Lancaster
County. Descendants of Jacob M.
Horst, by Frances W. Hurst, was
published by the author, printed at
Ephrata, Pa., and without date. It
has 41 pages and is priced at $1.50.
A larger work, at the same price, is
A Family History of the Descendants
of Isaac and Catherine (Witwer)
Weaver, Including Some of Their
Ancestry, by W. Banks Weaver,
without place or date of publication.
It has 102 pages, is illustrated, and
is partially indexed. Both of these
books can be obtained from Weaver
Book Stores, Lancaster and New
Holland.

LIST OF PUBLISHED GENEALO-
GIES. Speaking of Mennonite fam-
ily histories, more than usual com-
mendation is due Nelson Springer,
curator of the Mennonite Historical
Library at Goshen College, for the
full list he compiled. It appeared
under “Genealogy” in volume two of
The Mennonite Encyclopedia. Spread
over eight pages it must be a defini-
tive bibliography of known pub-
lished genealogies of Mennonites. It
includes American Mennonite fami-
lies both of Swiss and Russian
(Dutch-German) extraction, with a
supplement of Dutch and German
Mennonite names. It represents
much painstaking work and is an
invaluable source for anyone inter-
ested or working in the general field
of Mennonite genealogy. One may
express the hope that it will re-
appear as a separate publication.

DIRK PHILIPS. This is a name to
watch, for there is some new and
promising interest in him, both
scholarly and lay. Dirk Philips, or
Dietrich Philip, as his name occurs
in the German editions of his Enchi-
ridion, has been pretty much under
the shadow of Menno Simons stud-
ies. It appears, however, that he is
now becoming a subject for inde-
pendent study and research. William
E. Keeney, instructor in Bible at
Bluffton College, has completed a
study of Dirk in the form of a Th.M.
thesis at Hartford Theological Semi-
nary. According to announcement
in a recent issue of The Budget, J. A.
Raber, an Amish publisher at Bal-
tic, Ohio, will bring out a new edi-
tion of Dirk Philips’ works. The cur-
rent issue of The Mennonite Quar-
terly Review contains an article,
“The Christology of Dirk Philips,”
by Cornelius J. Dyck.

The general impression of Dirk
has been a not too favorable one.
He is seen as an excessively severe
disciplinarian with a rather morose
personality. It is true that he was a

leading exponent of the ban and
shunning, but there was another side
to his leadership. He was a deeply
spiritual man, as his writings reveal,
full of warmth and fervor, from
which any Christian, modern or 16th
century, may profit. His writings are
sizable in amount and high in theo-
logical perspicacity. His portrait in-
dicates a serious but genial mien, an
appearance which reminds one of
Mennonite piety at its best. Inci-
dentally, from the standpoint of
scholarship, more progress has been
made on the writings of Dirk Phil-
ips than on any other Anabaptist or
Mennonite figure. A textual edition
of all his writings, including letters
and hymns, with a full apparatus of
notes and bibliography, was pub-
lished in volume ten of the Biblio-
theca Reformatoria Neerlandica in
the Netherlands in 1914. This has
not been done for Menno Simons.
Hans Denck, it appears, will be the
next figure to be given this consid-
eration. The Tauferakten-Kommis-
sion has begun the publication of
Denck’s writings, of which the first
two volumes have already appeared.

SIT-DOWN PREACHERS. “At this
place I also attended a Mennonite
preaching service. It was of the Fri-
sian persuasion, and the minister sat
and preached. They sang our psalms
and also prayed for the magistrate.”
The mayor of the town of Harder-
wijk, in the Netherlands, wrote this
in his journal at the time of a visit
to Amsterdam about 1640. The pic-
ture is that of the minister in the
role of teacher or admonisher rath-
er than that of a pulpit figure or
orator as was the case in the Re-
formed Church. The mayor, of
course, was a member of the state
Reformed Church. ( Amstelodamum ,
XX (1923), p. 30.)

ARTICLES IN CONFERENCE PE-
RIODICALS. Articles of Mennon-
ite historical note often appear in

the missionary periodicals published
in the various conferences. For ex-
ample, “History of the Mennonite
Churches in Stark County, Ohio,” by
O. N. Johns, appeared in The Ohio
Evangel, XI, 3 (May-June, 1957).
The Gospel Evangel (Indiana-Mich-
igan), XXXVIII, 2, (March-April,
1957), carried a biographical account
of the life work of Ira S. Johns,
written by D. A. Yoder.

READERS’ GUIDE. An occasional
index to periodical literature about
Mennonites and Amish, possibly an
annual bibliography, might help
those interested to keep abreast with
some valuable materials. Readers'
Guide to Periodical Literature does
keep one informed to some extent,
particularly about articles appearing
in the better-known national maga-
zines, but many articles in smaller
periodicals go by the board. The ar-
ticle by David L. Souder, “ Walk Ye
in the Ways of the Lord
which appears in this issue of the
Bulletin, provides a sympathetic
close-up of cultural change among
Amish in Howard County, Indiana.
The article is of a literary nature and
as such depicts the more human as-
pects of change. It originally ap-
peared in The University of Virginia
Magazine, I, 4 (Easter, 1957). Be-
cause we believe it deserves a Men-
nonite audience also, as well as to
be on record in a Mennonite source,
it is reprinted here.

NEWSPAPER FEATURES. Some
very much worthwhile articles also
appear in newspapers. Recently we
saw a series of five prepared for the
Wooster Daily Record by Alma Kauf-
man, a member of that newspaper’s
staff. The series, which ran March
16, 20, 27, and April 5 and 20 of this
year, is about the history, life, and
customs of the Amish in eastern
Holmes County, Ohio. It is well
written, factual, and illustrated.

(Continued on Page 4)

THE CHRISTIAN CONGREGATION

This is a description or lifelike portrait of the Christian congrega-
tion, how it goes on here in the first place in the Spirit, and hereafter
in the perfection of heavenly existence. For in the first place the Holy
City is the congregation, whose citizens are the Christian believers
and members of the household of God (Eph. 2:19), and it is called a
city for the reason that as in a city there must be concord; the citizens
must hold firmly together, living and conducting themselves according
to the same polity, law, and statutes, if the city is to continue to exist.
So it must also be in the congregation: there must be unity of Spirit
and of faith (I Cor. 1:9; 10:21; Rom. 12:16); there the same rule of the
divine Word must govern the walk of its members, and the divine
polity which this city has received of God must be concordantly ob-
served. Therefore also the prophet (Ps. 122:3) declares that J erusalem
is built as a city whose citizens are united, whereby there is portrayed
to us the unity of the congregation of God, of which the Scripture says
much (Eph. 4:3; Col. 3:5; Gal. 3:28; John 17:11).

— Dirk Philips, (Spiritual and Anabaptist Writers, p. 255.)

4

MENNONITE HISTORICAL BULLETIN

NEWS AND NOTES

(Continued from Page 3)

FLORIDA MENNONITES. A well-
written account of Mennonites in
Florida, as seen by John Umble, ap-
peared in Mennonite Life, XII, 3
(July, 1957), a periodical of general
cultural and religious interest to
Mennonites, published at Bethel Col-
lege, North Newton, Kansas.

MENNONITES AND THE CIVIL
WAR. With the Civil War centen-
nial approaching, historians and
journalists, particularly, are stirring
the past for new subjects. Roger P.
Bristol, a scholar with considerable
training and experience in the field
of American history, located at the
University of Virginia, has begun a
study of the impact of the War be-
tween the States on the Peace
Churches. We have books on Men-
nonites in relation to the two World
Wars but no treatment of the effects
of the Civil War. Such an account
is needed and will be welcomed.

CLASSIC ANABAPTIST WRIT-
INGS. For the first time, one sus-
pects, the writings of representative
Anabaptist authors have been in-
cluded among the classic literature
of the Christian Church. Volume
twenty-five of The Library of
Christian Classics is entitled Spiri-
tual and Anabaptist Writers. It is
just out and may be had from West-
minster Press at Philadelphia at the
price of $5.00. The volume is edited
by Prof. George H. Williams of Har-
vard, with a section on “Evangelical
Catholicism” edited by Prof. Angel
M. Mergal of the Evangelical Semi-
nary in Puerto Rico. Prof. Williams’
approach is a very comprehensive
one to what he calls “the Radical
Reformation.” This he subdivides
into three main groupings, “the Ana-
baptists proper, the Spiritualists,
and the Evangelical Rationalists.”
Mennonites in general hold to a
more particularistic definition of
Anabaptism and would differ with
Williams. However, the book is a
very useful one and brings together
an important collection of sources in
the English language. Mennonites
will be particularly interested in the
“Confession” of Obbe Philips, which
heretofore has not been available in
English.

Dirk Philips is very well repre-
sented in this volume by 33 pages
from one of his best pamphlets, Van
die Ghemeynte Godts. Menno Si-
mons, on the other hand, is given a
place after Dirk Philips with nine
pages of text from one of his lesser
writings, Sommige Vragen, on the
ban. This does not do justice to the
amount and quality of his writing,
not to say anything about his more
constructive emphases and spiritual
concerns.

THE WANDERING SOUL

(Continued from Page 2)

isfactory one. It was translated
from the German rather than from
the original language, and a com-
parison with the Dutch indicates
that much has been lost, not only in
style but also in nuances of thought.
The title “Wandering Soul” is rather
unfortunate. “Pilgrim,” as the 1838
edition printed at Pittsburg had it,
is much better, but even “pilgrim
soul” is not good idiomatic English.
An uninspired translation doubtless
hastened the end of this devotional
book in the English-speaking world.

To what may we attribute the suc-
cess of The W dndering Soul? It was
in demand not only among Mennon-
ites in both the Old World and the
New but also found a wide circle of
readers in other groups. The pub-
lishers of the book at Harrisburg,
Pittsburg, and Philadelphia were not
the ones who catered to Mennonite
readers.

Part of the answer pertains to the
literary quality of the book. In con-
ception it was original and imagi-
native. The form, that of the collo-
quy, was a popular type of the peri-
od. The skillful use of conversation
breaks the monotony of what would
otherwise be an extended historical
account. Talk as Schabaelje used it
also created character. The persons
in the dialogues, especially the Wan-
dering Soul, are often sentimental,
but they are at least warm and hu-
man. As a whole the work is ex-
tremely readable and slanted to meet
the interest of the common man.

The book also had appeal as an ac-
count of sacred history interwoven
with events from the secular past.
The German translator recommend-
ed it highly as a means of instruc-
ting youth. As a reliable historical
account, however, the book is very
weak. Not all of Schabaelje’s sources
were dependable and it appears that
he added some opinions of his own.
Nevertheless it was valued as a use-
ful account of biblical history. Since
this was the case one can easily un-
derstand that when the patrons of
the book became better intformed it
was no longer in demand.

The devotional nature of The
Wandering Soul, however, was its
principal asset, especially for Dutch
readers. The particular piety which
it reflected, as we have indicated
above, was spiritualistic. It was a
kind of vade mecum of a movement
which flowered in the 17th century
in the Netherlands. The religious
fervor which it generated lasted well
into the 18th century. This explains,
likely more than any other reason,
why the book attained as many as 50
editions in the Low Countries.

To endeavor to revive The Wan-
dering Soul for modern readers

would most certainly be futile effort.
The dialogue form is out of date,
and the simple charm of the conver-
sation would likely elude the trans-
lator if it was done in the English
language. It has little value as an
historical work. Its concern with
practical piety, however, and the
concept of the Christian life as a
pilgrimage are an integral part of
the Anabaptist understanding of the
Christian life and valid in any age.

FOOTNOTES

1 Bun y an’s Pilgrim’s Progress might come
up for consideration as the most widely
reprinted book if the question is asked in
terms of Anabaptist books, especially if
one accepts a comprehensive definition of
the term. John Bunyan, it is true, was an
English Anabaptist, in the sense that Bap-
tists were popularly so called. He became
a member of the group in 1653 and soon
after began to preach the Gospel. The
metaphor and theme employed in his great
book is reminiscent of Anabaptist views.
As long as one accepts a particularistic
definition of Anabaptism and a comprehen-
sive one of Puritanism John Bunyan will
be classified as a Puritan. This is the case
at present among both literary and church
historians.

2 For information concerning Schabaelje I
am indebted to the article in the Dutch bi-
ographical dictionary, Nieuw Nederlandsch
Biografisch Woordenboek, vol. IX, cols. 953-
54, and to the article by H. J. Wijnman,
“Judith Lubberts, een Amsterdamsche
Dicli teres uit de 17e Eeuw,” Amstelodam-
um, vol. XXXV (1938), pp. 41-79.

3 Wijman. “Judith Lubberts,” pp. 54-57.

4 Robert Friedmann, Mennonite Piety
through the Centuries, Its Genius and Its
Literature (Goshen, Indiana, 1949), pp. 111-
15.

5 See the “Voor-Reden” in the 1641 edition,
fob A2-v 1.

6 Ibid., fol. A4-r.

AMERICAN EDITIONS OF
THE WANDERING SOUL

I. Editions in the German Language

1. 1768. Die wandlende Seel, das ist : Ge-
sprach der Wandlenden Seelen mit
Adam Noah und Simon Cleoplias ; ver-
fasset die Gescliicliten von cler Er-
schaftung der Welt an biss zu und
nach der Verwiistung Jerusalems. Da-
mns ordentlich zu ersehen, wie eine
Monarchie und Konigreich auf die an-
dere folget, wie diese angefangen jene
aber vergangen, und auch ausfiihrliche
VrrTauff der Zerstorung Jerusalem.
Durch Johann Philip Scliabalie.
Christopher Saur at Germantown, Penn-
sylvania.

2. 1771. Die wandlende Seel . . . die

zweyte Auf 1 age.

Christopher Saur at Germantown. Penn-
sylvania.

3. 1794. Die wandlende Seel . . . die dritte
Auflage,

Peter Leibert at Germantown, Penn-
sylvania.

4. 1805. Die wandlende Seel . . . die

vierte Auflage.

Michael Billmeyer at Germantown,
Pennsylvania.

5. 1822. Die wandlende Seele ....

John S. Wiestling at Harrisburg, Penn-
sylvania.

6. 1833. Die wandlende Seele ....

G. S. Peters at Harrisburg, Pennsvl-
vania.

7. 1833. Die wandelnde Seele ....

J. Howe at Philadelphia for G. W
Wentz and Son at Philadelphia.

8. 1834. Die wandelnde Seele ....

J. Howe at Philadelphia for G. W
Mentz and Son at Philadelphia.

(Continued on Page 8)

MENNONITE HISTORICAL BULLETIN

5

A Conference Historian
Was Elected

Laurence M. Horst

(This article is reprinted from The
Missionary Guide , the missions peri-
odical of the Illinois Conference, the
issue of April 1957. It contains a
number of excellent ideas which de-
serve to be shared with other confer-
ence and local historians throughout
the church. Used by permission. Ed.)

At the fall session of the Illinois
Mennonite Conference, 1956, the
Christian Education Cabinet pre-
sented the name of Arthur W. Naf-
ziger to serve as our first conference
historian. Brother Nafziger has been
asked by the conference to serve in
this capacity and has accepted this
position.

In the February issue of The Mis-
sionary Guide, page seven, is an ar-
ticle entitled, “From the Conference
Historian.” In this article our his-
torian suggests that, “each congre-
gation have a local historian ... an
individual who by inclination and
talent is fitted for the office . . . .”
Our historian says further —

“We need to record our present
activities in furthering the cause
of Christ that those that follow us
may learn from our experiences.

. . . Many of our homes have items
of historical value forgotten in at-
tics, closets, or on shelves, such as
letters, programs, pictures, books,
and scrapbooks . . .

We are indeed fortunate to have a
man in the Illinois Conference who
is willing to give the time and effort
necessary to carry on an active pro-
gram of historical significance that
will reach into our local churches.

By this time all of our congrega-
tions have given thought to the mat-
ter of having a historian. When de-
cision is made by the church the
name should be submitted to the
conference historian Arthur W. Naf-
ziger whose address is Hopedale,
Illinois.

SUGGESTION FOR
THE LOCAL HISTORIAN

I. Cooperate with the conference
historian by:

1. Calling to his attention mat-
ters of historical value with-
in the state.

2. Supervising the preparation
of materials from the local
church at his request.

II. Foster in the congregation an
appreciation for our heritage.

1. Find and preserve items of
historical value.

2. Encourage the production of
articles of historical interest
for church papers.

3. Keep a file of items of out-
standing historic value in
the local church.

III. Strive to preserve all current

historical matters.

1. Programs, bulletins, special
meetings, etc.

2. Reports to the congregation
by various church officers.

3. Newspaper clippings relative
to the local congregation or
her members.

4. Encourage the church to keep
a careful system of records.

5. Plan a historical scrapbook.

(1) This scrapbook should
have logical time-wise
progression.

(2) It may contain clippings
and pictures from local
and church papers.

(3) Each clipping or page of
clippings should be care-
fully dated including the
month and the year.

(4) Pictures may be placed
in among the clippings
as they are available. All
pictures should be care-
fully dated.

(5) Letters and articles from
Oldtimers whose infor-
mation will be lost when
they are called away in
death.

a. If the person cannot
write then the local
historian or someone
of his choosing could
take the story and then
put it into writing and
turn it over to the
church’s historical
scrapbook or file.

b. Testimonies, outstand-
ing decisions, lessons
learned from life, and
church-related experi-
ences could be among
the matters to get
from our older mem-
bers.

(6) When one scrapbook is
completed it may be
carefully indexed t o
make the material in it
readily accessible.

(7) It is not impossible to
think of a table of con-
tents in such a scrapbook
if careful time progres-
sion has been kept in
mind throughout.

(8) A plate listing the illus-
trations would also have
value.

(9) When such a book is
completed it could be
dated for the period of

time it represents and
placed in safe keeping.

IV. Some advantages of a scrapbook.

1. It keeps the materials togeth-
er and in sequence.

2. It makes tables of contents
and indexes possible for
quick reference.

3. It makes it possible to keep
a lot of materials together in
a small space and facilitates
the keeping of historic mate-
rials.

Note: All materials should be
of the best quality of material
so that they will not dry out
and crack in a few years.

The fifth ordinance is the com-
mand of love which Christ gave his
disciples, saying (John 13:34, 35;
15:12, 17): A new commandment I
give unto you, that ye love one an-
other, as I have loved you, that ye
also love one another. By this shall
all men know that ye are my dis-
ciples, if ye have love to another.
From this it is easy to understand
that pure brotherly love is a sure
sign of genuine faith and true Chris-
tianity. But this is true brotherly
love, that our chief desire is one an-
other’s salvation, by Scriptural in-
struction, admonition, and rebuke.

— Dirk Philips

AS OTHERS SEE US . . .

James Hastings Nichols, Profes-
sor of Church History, University of
Chicago, on the subject of the de-
nomination as a modern church
form :

The effect of this synthesis of
faith and culture on ecclesiastical
institutions must also be observed.
Instead of the “church” and “sect”
as the classical forms of ecclesias-
tical institution, modern church
history is characterized by the
“denomination.” Even bodies like
the Roman Catholics, who have
wished to remain churches, or
the Mennonites who have in-
tended to be sects, have been
forced to become, for most prac-
tical purposes, “denominations.”' —
History of Christianity 1650-1950,
Secularization of the West (New
York, 1956), p. 12.

[The views of out-group writers
are often helpful towards a true
understanding and evaluation of our
Mennonite life in the past and pres-
ent. From time to time we shall
note a few of these without comment
on our part and in context as much
as possible. The statements will be
of an historical nature. Ed.]

6

MENNONITE HISTORICAL BULLETIN

" Walk Ye in the Ways
of the Lord . . .

JEREMIAH 7:23

David L. Souder

Over a hundred years ago, a group
of Amish broke with the main body
of their church and moved westward
from Pennsylvania. Most of these
dissenters settled in central Ohio,
but a few families pushed on into
Howard County, Indiana, and estab-
lished a small colony. They were
skillful, hard-working farmers, and
as they prospered they spread out
over the surrounding area until their
tidy farmyards and well-cultivated
fields became a trademark of the
County. They rigidly adhered to
their strict discipline and avoided all
“worldly” influences. At a time
when technology was revolutioniz-
ing agriculture, they continued to
farm as their forefathers had long
before. Except for the McCormick
reaper and the threshing machine,
they scorned modern farm machin-
ery, and when electricity, the tele-
phone, automobiles, movies, and tel-
evision came onto the American
scene, the Amish denounced them as
“worldly” and continued to use their
kerosene lamps and horse-drawn
carriages and farm implements.

As long as the younger men re-
mained on the family farm, the Am-
ish could keep pace with their mod-
ern neighbors by sheer manpower.
But today most of the young people
are leaving the old sect, and their
parents are losing the fight against
progress. Many of the sons and
daughters are joining the more pro-
gressive Mennonite sect, which al-
lows them to dress in modern fash-
ion, to own cars and tractors, and
have electricity and most of the con-
veniences of twentieth-century liv-
ing. A few have completely forsak-
en the “old ways,” moving into town
and completely adopting the “world-
ly” way of life. Only fourteen or
fifteen families still remain true to
the strict Amish discipline. As the
tide of modernity gains momentum,
even this hard core is eroding away.

One branch of my own family left
the sect before the turn of the cen-
tury, when my great-grandfather
became an Evangelical minister,
travelling from one town to another
preaching in German. He kept the
farm, however, and it is now run by
my uncle. Since it had been located
in the very heart of the Amish col-
ony, it was still surrounded on all
sides by Amish holdings when I first
began to spend my summers on the
farm. Among my earliest memories
of those days are the swaying Amish
buggies, drawn by handsome Mor-
gans, clattering over the covered
bridge a few yards down the road

from us. The children would peep
shyly through the tiny oval win-
dows, while their parents gazed sto-
ically ahead, and occasionally a
snatch of their conversation, oddly
phrased in a Germanic dialect, drift-
ed hollowly back to me. Sometimes
they would pass on a late Sunday
afternoon, on the way home from
their all-day church meeting, while
my cousins and I were swimming in
the gravel pit next to the road. I al-
ways had an uneasy feeling, for I
knew that they disapproved of such
carryings-on on the Sabbath. Or
during harvest the whole family of
the Amish farm east of us would ap-
pear in the dusty-golden wheatfield
across from the house, the bearded
men swinging scythes while the
women and older children tied the
grain and stacked it into sheaves.
The youngest ones brought water
and carried files to sharpen the
gleaming blades when they became
dull. These graceful, quiet move-
ments across the road contrasted
strangely with the commotion of
tractor and combine moving through
my uncle’s fields in a cloud of dust
and chaff. Or sometimes I’d go with
my grandfather to the auction sales
in the county, and always there
would be knots of stern, work-
hardened men, with small boys
clinging wide-eyed to their hands.
My grandfather, who had been
raised by an Amish family, would
often join them, speaking in dialect.
The Amish boys and I would eye
each other suspiciously until at last
my grandfather moved on.

But it was not until the summer
when I was fifteen that I got a really
close look at a strict Amish family.
Since cultivating with a team is
much slower than with a tractor, the
Amish sometimes fell behind in their
work during the hot, moist July days
when weeds seem to appear between
the rows of beans or corn almost
over night. To catch up, they would
occasionally borrow a tractor, com-
plete with driver, from their more
modern neighbors. One evening
Mr. Mast, who owned the Amish
farm south of us, stopped by to ask
my uncle if he might borrow our
John Deere and me to cultivate one
of his bean fields. The next morning
I chugged noisily into their farm-
yard. The John Deere was the first
internal combustion machine to en-
ter their premises since the thresh-
ers had come the previous fall, so
the whole family was turned out to
greet me. Everyone except old Mrs.
Mast, anyway. Most of the sect re-
garded only rubber-tired machines
as instruments of the Devil, but she
was one of the more strict believers
who felt that even the steel-wheeled
threshing machine was “worldly.”
Mr. Mast’s oldest son, Freddie, later
told me that she was upstairs pray-

ing, and had not said a word to any
of the men since she found out they
had borrowed the John Deere. She
thought they had put her soul in
jeopardy by bringing that “infernal
machine” on the place.

But all of the others were there.
Three generations were represented;
old Mr. Mast in his black, broad-
brimmed hat, white beard resting on
the bib-front of his faded blue over-
alls; his two sons, the married one
black-bearded while the other re-
mained clean-shaven, according to
custom; his two daughters and his
daughter-in-law; and the four
grandchildren. No one said much
when I stopped in the driveway.
There were a few “Hello’s” and sev-
eral nods, while the little ones hid
behind the grown-ups’ skirts and
trouser legs and sneaked long
searching looks at me and the trac-
tor. Two big collies ambled up to
the tractor and sniffed suspiciously
at the big, mud-caked rubber tires.

Freddie was in the barn hitching
up a team to cultivate the field next
to mine. Finally he led the big
Percherons out into the bright sun-
light of early morning, and I fol-
lowed him down the lane. The
horses shied, white-eyed, at the roar
of the John Deere behind them, so
I slowed down to a crawl and let
them move out ahead. Finally my
guide paused and waved me into a
field on my right while he turned
into the one across the way. I peeled
off my shirt and started on my first
trip down the bright green rows,
watching the dull brown soil turn
shiny-black as the cultivator blades
tore into it. With the sun beating
down on my back and shoulders and
the heat and smell of the exhaust
blowing back into my face, it seemed
like any normal day on my uncle’s
place. I drove without stopping un-
til mid-morning, when I heard a
shout over the noise of the tractor.
Killing the engine, I saw the old
man moving towards me through the
sudden silence, with his smallest
grandson tagging along at his heels
as he picked his way over the fresh
furrows. They were still a good dis-
tance away, so I turned and looked
towards the field across the lane
while I waited for them to reach me.
Freddie was riding on the primitive
cultivator as it lurched and bucked
through the sun-caked topsoil, and I
could faintly hear the creaking and
jingling of the harness as the horses
leaned into it, the sweat turning
white and foamy where the leather
rubbed their backs. One of the col-
lies roamed the field in front of them
in a lazy search for rabbits or field
mice. The shimmering of heat-wave
gave the scene an appearance of un-
reality, as if I were watching its re-
flection on the still surface of a farm
(Continued on Page 8)

MENNONITE HISTORICAL BULLETIN

7

Book Reviews

The Lancaster Mennonite Confer-
ence History and Background.
By Ira D. Landis. Printed by
the Mennonite Publishing House,
Scottdale, Pa., 1956. Pp. 114. $.50.

The Christian Nurture Committee
of the Lancaster Mennonite Confer-
ence has sponsored this 114-page
booklet, The Lancaster Mennonite
Conference History and Background ,
written by Ira D. Landis, chairman
of the Committee.

In the preface the author calls the
book a “severely abridged textbook”
and explains that it was written and
published “since this story of the
background of our history is not
completely delineated on the pages
of any English text, since a quarter
of a century has elapsed following
the publication of M. G. Weaver’s
Lancaster Conference History, and
since our history has not been avail-
able for the increasing number of
schools calling for this almost un-
known choice history of the past . . .”

Approximately half of the book
(Chapters I- VI) deals with the be-
ginnings of Mennonitism — including
both the Swiss Brethren in Switzer-
land and the Mennonites in Holland
— with a discussion of their distinc-
tive doctrines, their persecution, and
evaluation by outsiders. Subsequent
migrations within Europe and to the
New World, culminating in the first
permanent settlement — in the heart
of the present Lancaster County —
are outlined.

Included in the other half of the
book (Chapters VII-XI) are descrip-
tions of the first meeting of the Lan-
caster Mennonite Conference, activi-
ties of the Mennonites during the
French and Indian Wars and the
Revolutionary War, migrations from
Lancaster County, the establishment
of meetinghouses, and the beginning
of the use of the English language,
Sunday schools, and revival meet-
ings. Especially interesting during
the early period is the influence of
Mennonite ideals in the writing of
the State Constitution of Pennsyl-
vania. The author mentions several
divisions including those that result-
ed in small Mennonite groups, such
as the Wenger Mennonites and the
Horning Mennonites, that still exist
in Lancaster County. The author
then shows the expansion of Confer-
ence activities, including the organi-
zation of youth groups, old people’s
homes, an orphanage, a high school,
elementary schools, and local and
foreign missions.

The author’s method of documen-
tation in this book consists of briefly
identifying sources and page num-
bers in the text itself rather than in
footnotes. The book includes a

rather complete index and a bibli-
ography.

At the end of each chapter is a list
of questions for review and research,
the answers to some of which are
found in the text itself. Further re-
search in outside sources would be
necessary to answer others. These
questions would probably be helpful
if the book were used in a classroom
situation. The book is appropriately
illustrated with photographs of sev-
eral Lancaster Conference leaders
and a number of historic buildings,
both in Lancaster County and in
Europe.

While the book by its title is local
in its scope, yet it should possess an
appeal for Mennonites everywhere
and, one suspects, to many outside
of the Mennonite circle who are in-
terested in history.

The author has been a very active
student of Mennonite history and
has done much historical research
on the local level. It is hoped that
this publication will not exhaust his
contributions to Mennonite historical
lore.

The reviewer is certain that the
Mennonite reading public would be
interested in having, from the pen
of Ira D. Landis, a full-scale history
of the Lancaster Conference, replete
with facts and details from the ex-
haustive and careful research which
this author has made on the subject.

— Samuel S. Wenger

Forks Mennonite Church, A Centen-
nial History 1857-1957. By John
C. Wenger, Conference Histori-
an. Privately printed at Gosh-
en, Indiana, 1957. Pp. 30.

This local church history, a treat-
ment of the founding and the later
life of the Forks Mennonite Church
in Lagrange County, Indiana, is well
written and an excellent example of
its kind. Factual, including a list of
ministers, and fourteen pages of
photographs, it brings together a
congregational history which church
members, even if they are not par-
ticularly historically minded, can
read and appreciate. The brochure
grew from a talk given by the author
at the time of the anniversary, but it
is also an installment of a larger
work in progress, The Mennonites of
Indiana and Michigan, which he
hopes to publish in 1959 (p. 15).

Many congregations in Ohio, Indi-
ana, Michigan, and points farther
west are currently reaching the cen-
tury mark of their history. This ex-
ample ought to be a stimulus for
other congregations to write their
history before records and memories
are further defaced by time.

I. B. H.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
OF JOSEPH SOHM

(Continued from Page 1)

taining the history of the faith and
doctrines of the Mennonite Church,
from the days of the apostles down
to 1606 [1660].

Mr. Sohm, after this enormous
task was completed, became, so to
speak, a more enthusiastic and de-
voted Christian than ever before. No
doubt the translation of the history
of God’s people in these early cen-
turies, their persecutions and suffer-
ings, with their faithfulness and
their devotion and steadfastness,
made him stronger, more steadfast
and more (devoted) than before,
and he began to preach the gospel.
[He] held meetings for a long time
every evening in a building on the
east side of Main street between
Lexington and High streets [in Elk-
hart] and did much good to those
who came to hear him.

Later he went back to New York
City, where he again engaged in the
printing business, and a flying report
went the rounds that he again re-
turned to the Catholic Church and
became a devout worshipper in that
faith. He died on March 12th in
1902, seventeen years ago, leaving a
wife and two sons and one daughter
to mourn his death. Peace to his
ashes.

— Manuscript in the John F. Funk
collection in the Archives of the
Mennonite Church.

Twenty-Five Chapters on the Shen-
andoah Valley. By John W.
Wayland. The Shenandoah Pub-
lishing House, Inc., Strasburg,
Virginia, 1957. Pp. 14, 434. $6.50.

This new, sizable work from Dr.
Wayland substantially increases his
contribution to the study of local
history in the Shenandoah Valley.
He calls this book “a topical history
of the Valley.” It is no sense a re-
peat performance but rather a filling
in, a highlighting of subjects which
he did not expand in his former
works. Attention is given primarily
to the pre-Civil War period, followed
by a concise account of the War in
the Valley. The Mennonite refer-
ences, as in most of Wayland’s books,
are numerous. The Funk printing
office, the Mennonite interest in mu-
sic, and a study of Christian New-
comer’s journal (Lancaster Mennon-
ite turned United Brethren in Christ,
who made 53 preaching trips into
the Valley, according to Wayland)
are some of the items of interest to
Mennonites. I. B. H.

8

MENNONITE HISTORICAL BULLETIN

THE WANDERING SOUL

(Continued from Page 4)

9. 1839. Die wandelnde Seele ....

J. Howe at Philadelphia for G. W.
Mentz and Son at Philadelphia.

10. 1843. Die wandelnde Seele ....

Mentz and Rovoudt at Philadelphia.

11. 1847. Die wandelnde Seele ....

Mentz and Rovoudt at Philadelphia.

12. 1810. Die wandelnde Seele ....

Wm. G. Mentz at Philadelphia.

13. No date. Die wandelnde Seele . . . .
Wm. G. Mentz at Philadelphia.

14. No date. Die wandelnde Seele . . .
Neue (12te Auflage).

Schafer und Koradi at Philadelphia.

15. No date. Die wandelnde Seele . . .

Neue (13te) Auflage.

Schafer und Koradi at Philadelphia.

10. No date. Die wandelnde Seele . . .

Neue (16te) Auflage.

Schafer und Koradi at Philadelphia.

17. 1919. Die wandelnde Seele . . . die

vierzehnte Auflage.

Mennonite Publishing House, Scottdale,
Pennsylvania.

IS. 1952. Die wandelnde Seele . . . die

15. Auflage.

By Light and Hope Publications,
Berne, Indiana, for J. A. Raber, Baltic,
Ohio.

II. Editions in the English Language

19. 1834. The Wandering Soul; Dialogues
between the Wandering Soul and Ad-
am, Noah, and Simon Cleophas. Com-
prising a History of the World, Sacred
and Profane. . . . By John Philip
Schabalie. Originally written in the
Holland Language: Translated into
German by Bernhart B. Brechbill.
Translated from the Fourth American
Edition into English, by I. Daniel
Rupp. Author “Der Maertyr Gesch-
iclite.” &c &c. To which a Chronologi-
cal Table and a Copious Index are
Added, Adapted to the Work. Second
and Improved Edition with Engravings.
L. Johnson at Philadelphia for I. D.
Rupp and John Winebrenner at Har-
risburg, Pennsylvania.

20. 1834. The wandering Soul . . . Fourth
American Edition.

L. Johnson at Philadelphia for I. Dan-
iel Rupp at Carlisle, Pa.

21. 1838. The Pilgrim Soul: or, Dialogues
between the Pilgrim Soul and Adam,
Noah and Simon Cleophas ....
Johnston and Stockton, Pittsburgh, Pa.

22. 1840. The Wandering Soul ....

J. V. Rigden at Woodstock, Virginia.

23. 1840. The Wandering Soul . . . Second
and improved edition.

L. Johnson at Philadelphia for I. D.
Rupp at Harrisburg, Pa.

24. 1 841. The Wandering Soul ....

The Virginian Office at Winchester,
Virginia.

-5. 1859. The Wandering Soul . . . New
Revised Edition, with Engravings.

Theo. F. Scheffer at Harrisburg.

20. 1874. The Wandering Soul . . . Sec-
ond Revised English Edition.

John Baer’s Sons, Lancaster, Pa.

Then again brotherly love is shown
in this, that among ourselves we
serve one another by benevolently
reaching out our hand, not only with
spiritual, but also with temporal
gifts, which we have received from
God. — Dirk Philips

"WALK YE . . .

(Continued from Page 6)

pond. I turned back and saw the
erect old man, wisps of his beard
waving in the fitful summer wind,
and the boy striding along beneath a
round, narrow-brimmed straw hat.
The boy was carrying a stone jug
and a tin cup, hugging the jug to
him with both arms as he stepped
across the rows. As they neared the
tractor he drew shyly back behind
his grandfather and nervously stud-
ied the ground. The old man smiled
up at me and asked me in his heavy
accent if everything were going well.
I nodded self-consciously and com-
mented that there were remarkably
few rocks in the field. He laughed
and told me that he had helped his
father pull them out nearly fifty
years before. The boy had filled the
tin cup from the jug, and he handed
it up to me, squinting into the sun.
It was buttermilk, fresh from the
churn. When I had drained the cup
I handed it back down to him. Mr.
Mast was critically examining the
turned earth between the rows of
beans, and, after a time, remarked
that the tractor was fast and did a
good job. He looked at the John
Deere and resignedly sighed and
shook his head. Then he called his
grandson and stood back while I
started the engine. As I drove off,
they watched for a moment, and
then turned back toward the house.
I thought of the old man as a boy,
helping his father pry the boulders
from the ground, and of the little
boy, outwardly a perfect replica of
his grandfather as he had been many
years before, and roaming the same
fields. I wondered how much long-
er they could hold out against the
“worldly” ways they had thus far
rejected.

I finished the field just before
noon, and pulled out into the hot
and dusty lane. Closing the gate be-
hind me, I drove toward the house,
enjoying the satisfied feeling, that
comes with the end of a job, and
looking forward to spending the af-
ternoon over at the gravel pit, swim-
ming and fishing. When I reached
the farmyard, one of the girls ran
out of the house and motioned for
me to stop. I squirmed into my shirt
and followed her into the bare and
immaculate kitchen. The walls and
ceiling were painted a dull white,
like every other room in the house,
and a kerosene lamp hung over the
table, suspended by a brass chain.
An old wood-burning stove filled
one corner of the room, with flames
flickering yellow and orange through
the translucent mica panes in the
fire-door. There were no curtains at
the windows, and no decoration of
any kind anywhere in the room.
Mrs. Mast and her daughters were

preparing dinner, moving quietly
and efficiently and occasionally ex-
changing rapid-fire phrases in dia-
lect. When the old Mrs. Mast saw
me, she led me out to the porch and
loaded me down with boxes of fresh
raspberries and jars of preserves,
made that morning and left there to
cool. She asked me to take them to
my grandmother. I thanked her and
walked out to the tractor. Evident-
ly she had overcome some of her
fear of the John Deere, for as I
started down the road she stood mo-
tionless by the gate in her blue dress
and white cap, shading her eyes with
her hand as she watched me go.

The last time I went to the farm,
I was surprised to see two new trac-
tors and a combine sitting in front of
the Mast’s barn, and a new Ford
narked in the driveway. My uncle
told me that after old Mr. Mast had
died the previous Fall, Freddie im-
mediately joined the Mennonite
Church and modernized the farm.
His brother Ivan was working in
town as an auto salesman. Only old
Mrs. Mast remained true to the old
ways. I feel sorry for her, forced to
live out her days in an atmosphere
which she considers sinful and
“worldly”. But that’s the way it is
in many of the old Amish families
in the County. The young are being
held back by the old, but the latter
know that it’s just a matter of time
before the forces of youth and prog-
ress will win out, and the sect will
melt away and become history.

You hardly ever see a buggy on
the pike any more. It may be due to
progress, but it still seems sort of a
shame.

(From The University of Virginia

Magazine, Easter, 1957, by permis-
sion.)

The sixth ordinance which Christ
has instituted for his congregation
is the keeping of all his command-
ments, for he demands of all his dis-
ciples a godly life, that they walk
according to the gospel, openly con-
fess the truth before men, deny self,
and faithfully follow in his footsteps,
voluntarily take up the cross, for-
sake all things, and earnestly seek
first the Kingdom of God and all his
righteousness, the unseen heavenly
things, and eternal life. . . . This
is the heavenly philosophy, which
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, re-
ceived of his Father, brought down
from heaven, and taught his disci-
ples. This is the counsel and will of
God, the saving doctrine of Jesus
Christ, and the testimony of the
Holy Spirit. —Dirk Philips